Three get death for Wagah border blast

Court also imposes fine of Rs6 million on the convicts

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Wednesday handed down the death penalty to three men for their involvement in the 2014 Wagah border bombing in which over 50 people had lost their lives and several others were injured.

ATC-III Judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar also imposed a fine of Rs6 million on each of the convicts -- Hussainullah, Habibullah and Saeed Jan – and sentenced them to 300 years in prison.

Three convicts were handed down the capital punishment on three counts each under Section 302 of the PPC (intentional murder), one under Section 7(a) read with 21-1 of the ATA, 1997 (committing an act of terrorism) and another under Section 6 of the Explosive Substance Act, 1908 read with Section 21-1 of the ATA, 1997 (abetment).

Each convict was awarded life imprisonment under Section 7 (c) of the ATA, 1997 (grievous bodily harm) and 300 years imprisonment (10 years on each count for the offence of murderous assault on 30 persons) under Section 324 of the PPC read with Section 109 PPC for the offence of murderous assault on 30 persons.

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The convicts will pay the fine of Rs6 million to the heirs of three victims, Shahid Mehmood, Zafar Iqbal and Abdul Moeez.

Under Section 302 of the PPC, each convict is liable to pay Rs1million as compensation to the heirs of deceased. Each convict shall also pay Rs1 million to the heirs of each of the three victims under Section 7 (a) read with 21-1 of the ATA, 1997.

Each convict shall also pay fine of Rs1 million under Section 6 of the Explosive Substance Act, 1908 read with section 21-1 of the ATA, 1997 and an additional Rs1 million under Section (c) of the ATA, 1997.

The suicide attack took place Wagah border gate after the “flag-lowering” ceremony culminated on a Sunday evening which attracts thousands of spectators every day and is popular with foreign tourists.

It was learnt that the attackers had brought two suicide jackets to Wagah border; one claimed the lives of 60 people, the other was found undetonated near the site of explosion the next day.

A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman had claimed the attack, calling it the first in a series of attacks in retaliation for the military operation in North Waziristan.