KARACHI: Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case on Tuesday took a new turn after an eye witness disowned his statement.

The hearing of the case was held at an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in which former SHO Amanullah Marwat, Shoaib Shooter and others were presented before the court.

During the hearing, the case took a new turn as key witnesses and eyewitnesses Head Constable Raja Jahangir deviated from his earlier statements and denied recognizing the 7 accused.

Witness Raja Jahangir stated in his testimony that he was forced to give a false statement, and under pressure from higher authorities, he signed the police-written statement.

Upon the witness’s deviation, the prosecution requested to retract the witness’s name from the case.

The prosecution revealed that former SSP Malir Rao Anwar and 18 police officers and officials, including Amanullah Marwat and 7 others, were acquitted, while the accused were absconding. However, the accused surrendered themselves after the ATC’s decision, Shoaib Shooter is still on bail, and 6 accused, including Amanullah Marwat, are arrested.

The defense lawyer objected to retracting the witness’s name, stating that the witness’s name cannot be retracted from the case, and directions should be given regarding the correction of the witness’s statement.

Later, the hearing of Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case was adjourned until May 4.

Who was Naqeebullah Mehsud

Mehsood,27, was killed on January 13, 2018, in Karachi during a ‘staged police encounter’ in Malir district.

Naqeebullah Mehsud, 27, an aspiring model and a textile factory worker, was fatally shot along with three other people during what police described as a raid on a hideout of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed group on January 13, 2018.

Mehsud’s family and the TTP denied that the 27-year-old was a member of the group. The ‘staged police encounter’ took place in Karachi’s Malir area.