ISLAMABAD, Nov 21, 2025: The Supreme Court acquitted two men who had been sentenced to death in a murder case involving two young men in Chitral, granting them the benefit of the doubt due to insufficient evidence.
The court expressed strong concern over serious lapses in the investigation, mishandling of evidence, and violations of legal procedures.
According to the detailed written judgment approved for reporting, Justice Athar Minallah authored the verdict, calling the case a clear reflection of the alarming state of the country’s criminal justice system, as well as the incompetence, lack of professionalism, and dishonesty displayed by the investigating officers.
The case pertains to the 2016 killings of Shah Faisal and Shafiur Rehman in the Jabraik area of Damil in Chitral.
The dead bodies of two youth stuffed in a bag were recovered from a river in Kauti area of Damil in February 2016.
Later, the bodies were identified as that of Shah Faisal (18) and Shafiur Rahman (23), both residents of Damil village located near the Pak-Afghan border.
The judgment notes that although police were informed of the incident, the concerned officer failed to register an FIR as required by law and instead recorded the information only in the daily diary. Later, the officer unlawfully sought permission from a magistrate for an “inquiry” under Section 156(3), despite having no legal basis to do so.
The court observed that the accused were arrested even before the FIR was lodged, which constituted a serious violation of their fundamental rights. Their alleged judicial confessions, recorded during this illegal custody, were deemed unreliable, especially as the statements of the magistrate and the investigating officer contradicted each other.
The judgment further stated that the confessions did not align with the evidence and could not be considered voluntary or free from police pressure. Key items recovered from the crime scene, including a weapon, a bloodstained stone, and a mat, were sent to the forensic laboratory after undue delay, rendering their evidentiary value doubtful.
The court concluded that investigators failed to meet essential legal requirements and displayed negligence and incompetence, weakening the prosecution’s entire case.
Upholding its earlier short order, the Supreme Court maintained the acquittal of the two accused – Syed Rehman and Noor Rahmat – and ordered their immediate release if they are not wanted in any other case.–APP