The Supreme Court of Pakistan has acquitted two death row convicts who had been imprisoned for 17 years in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old boy in Charsadda.
A two-member bench, led by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, heard the case, with Justice Salahuddin Panhour and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim also part of the panel. The court accepted the convicts' appeal, which had been pending for seven years.
The accused, Imtiaz and Naeem, were convicted in 2008 for allegedly abducting and killing five-year-old Inam. They were initially sentenced to death under the Anti-Terrorism Act by a trial court. However, the Peshawar High Court later reduced their sentence to life imprisonment. The convicts filed an appeal against this decision seven years later.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court emphasized the importance of verifying and legally examining evidence in cases involving capital punishment. The court noted that if the only evidence against an accused is later retracted, it becomes difficult to rely on it legally, morally, and practically.
"A conviction based solely on a retracted confession raises serious legal questions," the Supreme Court observed while acquitting the two convicts.