Sindh

SHC upholds sentences of Sehwan blast convicts

Also rejects plea against sighing of bonds for PIA crash victims

Our Correspondent May 14, 2022

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court SHC has rejected appeals of convicts in the Sehwan Sharif blast case and upheld their death sentence on 80 counts.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice KK Agha, ruled on the appeals of the suspects in the Sehwan Sharif bomb blast Case. The court rejected the pleas of the suspects.

The court upheld the sentences of terrorists Nadir Ali alias Murshid and Furqan alias Farooq. The SHC remarked that robust evidence had been presented against the convicts. "Terrorists who kill innocent people do not deserve any concessions," it observed.

The court also issued permanent arrest warrants for five fugitives. Prosecutor Iqbal Awan had argued that more than 80 people were killed and more than 120 injured in the incident.

Other modern evidence, including CCTV footage, was presented against the suspects. On conviction, the trial court sentenced Nadir and Furqan to death on 80 counts in 2020.

The court had separately sentenced the suspects to 82 years imprisonment for violating the sanctity of the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and terrorism. Five suspects, including Abdul Sattar and Ijaz Tanveer, are still absconding in the case.

Terrorist Brahar Brohi had carried out a suicide bombing outside the shrine in Sehwan Sharif in 2017. The arrested suspects confessed to the crime. According to the police, both the suspects belong to the banned organisation ISIS.

Also, the SHC has rejected a petition against the signing of a bond for compensation paid to PIA plane crash victims.

The petitioner contended that PIA had imposed the condition of signing a "release and discharge" bond for payment of compensation. It was argued that if any institution were found guilty in the future, no action would be taken against it.

On its way from Lahore to Karachi, the national carrier's plane crashed near the airport on May 22, 2020, leaving 97 passengers dead.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2022.