Two terrorists get death penalty for plotting to blow up Sindh Assembly

A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) has sentenced Zahidullah Suleman and Bismillah Haji Lala to death for plotting to blow up the Sindh Assembly Building and launching a war against the state.

Both the convicts will serve three times rigorous life imprisonments, with their other three accomplices before, the capital punishment is carried out. The other three suspects include Muhammad Qasim, Inamullah Bilal and Gul Muhammad.

All of the five suspects will serve three times rigorous life imprisonment and on completion of the term, Suleman and Lala will be sent to the gallows.

Special Court No12 at the Anti-Terrorism Complex in Karachi Central Jail ruled on the cases of the terrorists who conspired to wage war against the state and blow up the Sindh Assembly with a suicide attack.

The court convicted five suspects in other offenses too, including possession of explosives, police encounter and attempted murder. The court sentenced accused Suleman and Lala to death. The court also imposed a fine of Rs1 million on each of the two suspects.

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The court also sentenced all the suspects to 14 years in prison for possessing explosives. The court has sentenced the suspects to a total of 13 years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of police encounter and attempted murder.

The court ruled that accused Suleman was the suicide bomber who was supposed to carry out a suicide attack in a rickshaw on the Sindh Assembly Building. Accused Suleman was doing all this at the behest of a man identified as Colonel Bismillah, who as per investigation, was at first working for Afghan intelligence and then for the Indian intelligence agency RAW.

All of the suspects were arrested in a raid on their hideout on February 2, 2021. According to the police, there was a terror alert in the city and the Counter-Terrorism Department police (CTD) received spy information that six unidentified men, who appeared to be non-locals with an auto rickshaw filled with suspicious bags, were present at a house in Sector 21-A of Shah Latif Town.

Subsequently, CTD shared information with senior police officials. After clearance, law enforcers launched a raid on the identified hideout in the early hours of February 2, 2021. There was a shootout and finally police arrested the five suspects.

The suspects had told the police during interrogation all of them agreed with each other, verbally, to plan suicidal attacks on the Sindh Assembly, Karachi Stock Exchange and other government buildings.

Lala recorded videos of the Sindh Assembly and Karachi Stock Exchange on his mobile phone, while police also recovered two maps from the house. The property was rented and was used to keep the explosive substances inside the unregistered rickshaw.