Pak Govt. challenges LHC's aquittal of four Marriot Hotel attack accused

Rawalpindi, July 6 (ANI): The Pakistan government has challenged the Lahore High Court's decision acquitting four terror suspects in the Marriot Hotel suicide attack case.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) set up in the Lahore High Court had dismissed the case against the accused citing lack of evidence against them.

In its petition, the federal government has urged the court to decide the case only after hearing the prosecution's arguments.

The petition stated that the case was decided without going through full material available against the accused.

"The trial court had decided the case in haste in the absence of the prosecutor as he had been pursuing cases in other anti-terrorism courts. A request of the investigation officer, DSP Altaf Aziz Khattak, for an adjournment was not accepted by the ATC judge," The Dawn quoted the petition, as saying.

The government also said that the prosecution had cited 128 witnesses against the accused and 84 of them deposed before the court and before others got their statements recorded, the trial court acquitted the accused.

Over 60 people, including five foreigners were killed and more than hundred injured, in the suicide attack on the five star Marriott Hotel in 2008.(ANI)