Pakistani Court Overturns 2014 Suicide Attack Convictions at Wagah Border

A Pakistani court overturned the death penalty and lengthy imprisonment sentences for three men convicted of a 2014 suicide attack at Wagah border. The Lahore High Court acquitted them due to insufficient evidence, despite over 100 witnesses being presented during the trial.

A Pakistani court has overturned the death penalty and lengthy imprisonment sentences for three convicts who had been found guilty of a 2014 suicide attack at the Wagah border, which resulted in over 60 fatalities. The Lahore High Court made this decision based on appeals lodged by the convicts, Haseenullah Haseena, Habibullah, and Syed Jan alias Gajni.

The original sentences, issued by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore in 2020, included death penalties and 300 years of imprisonment, premised on the convicts' alleged involvement with the banned group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. The attack had previously been claimed by both Jundullah and a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.

In their acquittal, the division bench cited insufficient evidence, despite over 100 witnesses testifying during a trial that lasted over five years. The defense argued that their clients were unfairly targeted, introducing the convicts in the case nearly nine months post-incident with no substantial witnesses or proof.