Peshawar: A local anti-terrorism court on Saturday cleared the chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM), Sufi Muhammad, in 16 more terrorism cases.
Sufi Muhammad was acquitted due to lack of evidence against him in the cases, all of which were registered under the anti-terrorism act.
Judge Abdul Rauf of the ATC, who conducted proceedings inside the Peshawar Central Jail, also issued orders to transfer the remaining three cases against the TNSM chief to courts in Swat. The trial of Sufi Mohammad in different terrorism cases has been conducted inside the maximum-security Peshawar Central Jail for security reasons.
Sufi Muhammad, who is the father-in-law of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah, was arrested in 2009 during the final phase of the military operation against militants led by his son-in-law in Malakand region.
He has been in prison since his 2009 arrest.
