LAHORE: A Czech model sentenced to over eight years in prison for drug trafficking in Pakistan has been acquitted, her lawyer said on Monday.
Tereza Hluskova, 25, was arrested at the airport in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore for trafficking nine kilogrammes of heroin in January 2018.
“The prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and the court ordered that she be released from prison,” her lawyer Saif ul Malook told AFP.
The paperwork for her release order will take up to one week to process, Malook added.
He said Hluskova intends to return straight to Prague.
“Based on information from (her) lawyer, we can confirm a court of appeals has decided to acquit the Czech national in Pakistan,” the Czech foreign ministry said in a tweet.
Footage released by Pakistani customs officials showed authorities uncovering drugs hidden in her suitcase as she was trying to board a flight.
Hluskova, who was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison and a fine in March 2019, has insisted someone had placed the drugs in her suitcase.
Pakistan shares a long porous border with Afghanistan, which is the world’s largest illicit opium producer despite a decade of costly US and international counter-narcotics programs.
Drug trafficking is a serious offense in Pakistan and arrests at airports are not uncommon.
The South Asian nation is part of the drug-smuggling routes from Afghanistan to Central Asia, Europe and North America.
Czech model imprisoned in Pakistan over drugs is acquitted — lawyer
https://arab.news/w5z5n
Czech model imprisoned in Pakistan over drugs is acquitted — lawyer
- Tereza Hluskova, 25, was arrested at Lahore airport for trafficking heroin in January 2018
- The paperwork for her release order will take up to one week to process, her lawyer said
Pakistan expresses solidarity with Australia as gunmen kill at least 12 in Bondi Beach shooting
- Gunmen targeted people gathered at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach to celebrate Jewish Hannukah festival
- Pakistan, itself a victim of “terrorism,” condemns violence against innocent civilians, says President Zardari
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari expressed solidarity with Australia on Sunday as gunmen killed at least 12 people and wounded a dozen others in the Bondi Beach shooting that targeted the Jewish community in the country.
New South Wales (NSW) police said two people had been taken into custody, and the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said one of at least two gunmen was among those killed. Around a dozen people were taken to local hospitals after the shooting, an NSW ambulance spokesperson said.
The attackers targeted a large group gathered at the northern end of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, near or at Bondi Park playground, as per news reports, when the attack happened. Gunmen attacked people who were there to celebrate an event related to the Jewish festival of Hannukah.
“President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed sorrow over the tragic shooting in Sydney, conveyed condolences to the victims’ families & wished the injured a speedy recovery,” the president of Pakistan’s official account on X wrote.
“Pakistan itself a victim of terrorism, stands in solidarity with & condemns violence against innocent civilians.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the Sydney attack, expressing condolences with victims of the incident.
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he wrote on X.
As per international media reports, one of the gunmen has been identified as Naveed Akram from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest. His country of origin remains unclear.
One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings.
Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled his weapon off him. A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge.
Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.
