By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan has been shocked by the revelation that contrary to previous reports, only two people were jailed from a group of 10 tried for attempting to kill Pakistani teen Malala Yousafzai.
Officials confirmed to Anadolu Agency that despite reports all 10 men were sentenced to life in prison, eight were actually acquitted for lack of evidence.
The confusion has been blamed on misreporting but journalists contest that they were not given access to the secretive anti-terrorist court and based their reports on information from security sources.
"This was misreporting that all the ten accused were sentenced to a life term for attacking Malala Yousafzai in April. Actually, according to the original court documents, two out of ten were charged and sentenced, while eight others were acquitted," police chief of the Malakand division -- which Yousafzai's hometown Swat valley is a district of -- Azad Khan told Anadolu Agency.
The accused, according to police and security forces, had shot and severely injured Yousafzai, who had campaigned for girls education in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, while travelling in a school bus in 2012. They allegedly carried out the attack on the orders of Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah.
"This was the court’s decision and nothing was hidden," said Khan, brushing aside accusations that a secret deal was done for the acquittal of the other eight.
Swat valley police chief Saleem Marwat echoed Khan's comments, insisting that "courts are working freely in Pakistan."
The Press Attaché to Pakistan's High Commission in the United Kingdom Muneer Ahmed also claimed that the confusion was based on misreporting.
The rulings were made on April 30 in an anti-terrorist but the media was not allowed to attend the court proceedings.
A local journalist, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity, said even local journalists did not know when and where the trial was held.
"We were given the conviction news by security sources and we simply released that,” he said.
The brazen attack on Yousafzai, who was 15 at the time, sparked outrage in Pakistan and internationally. She was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, alongside Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, for her work in campaigning for girls education.
*Anadolu Agency correspondent Asli Aral contributed to this report from London
