SC rejects appeal of terror convicts

Judgment says extraordinary measures needed to keep state safe

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that extraordinary measures were required to keep the state safe from terrorists and to maintain its writ, stressing that those who broke the law and destroyed peace in the society must be dealt with iron hands.

The court rejected the appeal of two convicts involved in the killing of two police officials a terrorist attack on a police post in Dera Ghazi Khan. In a 14-page judgment, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi said that criminals did not deserve any leniency.

The judgment noted that terrorism in the country in the 1990s, was based on extremism but over the time, terrorist activities increased. Now the target of terrorism was the persons holding important positions and the law-enforcement agencies.

Funds were raised through explosives, firearms, target killing, kidnapping for ransom and terrorism, the judgment said, adding that the aim of all those activities was to destroy peace of the society and spread fear.

The verdict said that extraordinary measures were required to keep the state safe from terrorists and maintain its writ. It said that state institutions agreed to deal with law breakers with an iron hand, therefore, the Anti-Terrorism Act was introduced.

In the case, the trial court had sentenced the accused to death. However, the Lahore High Court (LHC) commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. The accused had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the LHC decision.