Anti-terrorism act: Fourth schedule suspect gets three-year jail term

Benazir Bhutto assassination case hearing put off till August 29

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) Monday handed down three years jail term to a suspect for violating the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

ATC-I Special Judge Rai Ayub Marth convicted Qasim Muavia for violating the ban on his movement as he had left his hometown without informing the area police.

Muavia was arrested by the Rangu Police in Attock on September 27, 2015, for violating the restriction.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs40,000 on the convict. If he failed to pay the fine, he would have to undergo six months additional imprisonment.

Muavia’s name had been included in the fourth schedule for his alleged links to the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Muavia was also one of the main accused in the assassination of former Punjab home minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada.

The minister was killed in a suicide attack at his Dera in Shadikhel in Attock on August 16, 2016. The suicide attack had also left 18 other people dead.

The Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) claimed that Muavia facilitated the attack. According to the CTD, Muavia was a close aide to Qari Ismail, the TTP Attock chief.

BB murder case

The same judge on Monday put off hearing in the prime minister Benazir Bhutto assassination case till August 29.

When the judge took up the case, the counsel for two accused, DIG Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shahzad, filed applications stating that his clients were going to attend a 32 weeks promotion course and they will not be able to appear in the court in person until the course was complete.

The applicants pleaded the court that their clients should be exempted from court appearance till their course was over. The judge while accepting the applications put off the hearing till August 27.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2016.