Four Quetta hospital attack facilitators arrested

ATC hands down death sentences, life imprisonment to 15 accused

QUETTA: Security officials nabbed at least 27 suspects, including four facilitators of the Quetta hospital bombing, in a combing operation in Mastung on Friday, while an anti-terrorism court in Naushki district handed down death and life terms to 15 accused.

Nine Afghan nationals were also among those rounded up.

A huge cache of explosives was seized during the combing operation, according to unnamed security sources.

The combing operation was carried out in the Kanak area of Mastung, some 25km away from Quetta.

Balochistan security forces claimed to have arrested four facilitators of the Civil Hospital carnage.

Anti-terrorism court

An anti-terrorism court handed down the death penalty and life imprisonment to 15 men accused of involvement in the killing of a Levies official and an assassination bid on the life of District Police Officer (DPO) Kharan Anwar Badini.

ATC Judge Justice Jaffar Mengal also fined each accused Rs200,000 besides awarding death sentences and life imprisonments.

The accused were involved in the killing of Balochistan Levies official Umar Shah and attacking DPO Kharan’s police mobile van. DPO Kharan and his driver were injured in the attack.

The culprits were charged with terrorism, murder, illegal possession of arms and ammunition, possession of explosives and an assassination attempt.

The main accused in the case, Mullah Ashraf, was given a quadruple death sentence while 14 of his accomplices were awarded death sentences three times.

The abettors included Maqbol Ahmed, Abdul Qayyum, Mohammed Yaqoob, Khuda Baksh, Rehmatullah, Zahoor Ahmed, Abdul Qadir, Amjad Ali, Mehboob, Hazoor Baksh, Abdul Qadus, Danyal, Badost and Shakil Ahmed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2016.