ATC reissues black warrants for two LeJ men

Court orders the two condemned prisoners to be hanged on February 3 in Karachi

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday reissued black warrants for two condemned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi prisoners.

The ATC-V issued death warrants for Attaulah alias Qasim and Muhammad Azam alias Sharif for their convictions in 2004 for killing a doctor on sectarian grounds. Their execution, however, remained delayed owing to a moratorium on capital punishment.

In wake of expediting prosecution against terrorists after Peshawar school attack, the government lifted the moratorium and since then 20 condemned prisoners have been hanged.

The courts, in light of the moratorium being lifted, had on December 19 issued black warrants for Attaullah and Azam. However, their hanging was stayed by the Sindh High Court and representatives of the condemned had approached the Supreme Court for an early decision on their second review petition.

But their pleas were dismissed by the appellate courts and a mercy appeal was also turned down by the President.

The jail authorities then sought fresh orders from the court to carry out executions.

The ATC-V judge on Saturday reissued black warrants, stipulating that the convicts are hanged on February 3 in Karachi. The authorities have been told to carry out the hanging under the supervision of the area magistrate and fulfill all legal formalities.

Sources added that the two death row prisoners had been recently moved back to Karachi from the Sukkur jail where they had been moved to in 2013.

According to the prosecution, Attaullah had killed a doctor Ali Raza Pirani, for his religious beliefs, in June 2001 in Soldier Bazar area. Based on eyewitness testimony, he was prosecuted under Sections 302 (murder), 365-A (kidnapping or abducting for extorting property, valuable security), 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.