Pakistan court acquits two prime suspects in Sarabjit’s murder case

LAHORE: A Pakistani court on Saturday acquitted two prime suspects in the murder case of Indian national Sarabjit Singh in 2013 in the Kot Lakhpat jail here, citing “lack of evidence” against them. The Lahore Sessions Court announced its verdict in the case which was pending for more than five years.

According to a court official, Lahore’s additional district and sessions judge Muhammad Moin Khokhar acquitted the main suspects - Amir Tamba and Mudassar – after all witnesses turned hostile. “Not a single witness testified in the court against both the suspects. The court acquitted them for lack of evidence against them,” the official said. He said both suspects made their presence in the court through a video link from the Kot Lakhpat Jail because of security concerns.

Amir and Mudassar, two Pakistani death row prisoners, allegedly attacked Singh, 49, in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail in 2013 resulting in his death.

In previous hearings, the judge had expressed his anger as the prosecution failed to bring forth prosecuting witnesses to record their statement.

AMIR AND MUDASSAR, TWO PAKISTANI DEATH ROW PRISONERS, ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED SARABJIT SINGH IN LAHORE’S KOT LAKHPAT JAIL IN 2013 RESULTING IN HIS DEATH

A one-man judicial commission of Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of Lahore high court had initially investigated Singh’s murder case before the trial kicked off in the Sessions court.

Naqvi recorded statements of some 40 witnesses and submitted its report to government which is yet to make its findings public. Tamba and Mudassar, in their statements to the commission, had confessed to the crime and said they killed Singh as they wanted to avenge the killing of people in Lahore and Faisalabad in bomb blasts allegedly carried out by the Indian national. Singh has been sentenced to death for his alleged involvement in a string of bombings in 1990 in the Punjab province of Pakistan.