PESHAWAR: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday acquitted three terror suspects charged with involvement in the Imamia Masjid Hayatabad suicide blast in which 20 people were killed in 2015. The ATC judge announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both the sides. He acquitted the three terror suspects with the observation that the prosecution had failed to prove terrorism charges against the suspects. They included Najeebullah, Imanullah and Riazullah, residents of Yaseenabad locality in the city. Lawyers Tafseel Khan Afridi and Muhammad Saeed Khan appeared for the suspects in the case. The public prosecutor submitted before the court that the three were arrested by the police after the suicide blast as they were suspected to be the facilitators. The lawyers for the accused argued that the prosecution failed to produce solid evidence and to prove terrorism charges against the suspects. They argued that the suspects were wrongly charged and prayed the court to acquit them. The lawyers recalled that the Counter-Terrorism Department after arresting the suspects claimed that they were key suspects in the blast. At least 20 worshippers were killed when four suicide bombers attacked the Imamia Masjid in Hayatabad during Friday prayers on February 13, 2015. The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), headed by the Afghanistan-based Maulana Fazlullah, had claimed responsibility for the attack. A TTP spokesman had said at the time that the attack was carried out to avenge the execution of militant commander Dr Usman, who had led the assault on the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on October 10, 2009.
