Supreme Court of Pakistan (PCB) has acquitted a man who had been convicted for the murder of five individuals, granting him the benefit of doubt after 23 years.
The court's decision was based on doubts regarding the evidence presented against the convict.
The judgment, written by Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed, stated that even one doubt in the case was sufficient for the defendant's acquittal. The court raised questions about the reliability of eyewitness testimonies, particularly concerning how they were present at the victim's house during the night.
The accused, Mohammad Ishaq, had been convicted in 2002 for the murders of his uncle, aunt, and their three children in Mirpurkhas. He was sentenced to five death penalties and fined Rs. 200,000 by the session court. The Sindh High Court had upheld the sentence.
However, due to incomplete evidence and lingering doubts, the Supreme Court annulled the previous judgment and acquitted Ishaq.