The decision comes after the LHC had earlier reserved their decision on the case which was due to be announced today.
In May 2016, the 21-year-old law student was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight on a busy road while she waited to pick up her 6-year-old sister from school.
The attacker, Shah Husain, the son of a well-known lawyer in the city, was Siddiqi’s classmate at a private, local law school.
After a harrowing wait that stretched out for over a year, Husain was delivered a five-year sentence on July 29, for attempted murder.
The LHC, last Friday, had decided to hear the appeal filed by convict Shah Hussain asking for the suspension of his imprisonment in order to be released on bail and serve the remaining sentence out of jail. Before this, the session court where the case had first been taken had already reduced the sentence to five years when the maximum sentence is 10 years.
Commenting on the issue on Twitter, Khadija’s lawyer said “It was Khadija’s battle till yesterday. Khadija you did your job well. Today you didn’t lose – it was society that lost. So it is battle of the society now. The hashtag In Support of Khadija is #WeAreWithKhadija plz use this. We will fight back – we will fight the Mafia.”
Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir also commented on the proceeding saying “Attacker of #KhadijaSiddiqi who stabbed her 24 times has been acquitted by Lahore High Court. Is this what our justice system has come down to. First under CJP Nisar’s general order security was withdrawn from @khadeeeej751 and now her attacker has been set free. Shame”
Shah's appeal was heard by Justice Sardar Naeem Ahmad, in which, the respondents informed the court that a separate appeal has been filed at LHC by them against the reduction of sentence from seven to five years following a review appeal filed by the convict in the Sessions court.
According to Khadija Siddiqi, the court announced the verdict today and acquitted Shah Hussain.
https://twitter.com/khadeeeej751/status/1003595360449769472
“Inna lilahi wa ina ilahi rajioon! Justice butchered. Shah hussain acquitted!,” Ms Siddiqi tweeted.