Pak anti-terror court acquits suspected Musharraf attacker

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has acquitted Rana Mohammad Faqir of the charge of attacking a convoy of former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf in 2003.

Faqir, however, after the acquittal refused to leave the jail over fears of getting abducted by security agencies, but was persuaded by the family to come home, Dawn reports.

He alleged that Jamshed Raza, another accused in the 2001 Musharraf attack case, had been picked up by the Military Intelligence after his release on bail and was later implicated in a fake bank robbery case.

Faqir's son Rana Mohammad Waseem said they had requested the ATC judge to provide security to his father from Adiyala jail to their residence in Islamabad, but he advised them to approach the city police officer.

However, the Pothohar SP turned down his request for security, the report added.

Investigators had earlier said that Faqir had parked his explosives-laden vehicle outside the Jinnah Park in Rawalpindi, but it failed to start when the convoy of General Musharraf was passing through the area.

Advocate Inamur Rahim, the counsel for Faqir, said that his client's acquittal would support their stance in the case of attack on Musharraf's convoy.

He said it proved wrong intentions of the prosecution and the military authorities for implicating Faqir, his son Naveed and 11 other members of his family in fake cases.