Kidnapping: One gets death, two life terms

FAISALABAD:

Anti Terrorist Court (ATC) Judge Ishtiaq Ahmad on Friday sentenced a man to death on two counts and two others to life imprisonment on two counts in a kidnapping-for-ransom case.

After recording witnesses, the ATC found Asad Ali, Mazhar Hussain and Naseer Ahmad guilty in the matter. It gave death sentence to Asad Ali and life sentences to his brother Mazhar Hussain and one Naseer Ahmad under section 365-A of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 7-E of the Anti-Terrorist Act (ATA). The court gave a 10-year prison sentence to each of the three accused under section 386 of the PPC and imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on each.

Farooq, another person arresting in the case, was given the benefit of doubt and acquitted.

The four men had been arrested by Madina town police for kidnapping Siddique over a year ago. According to the prosecution, the child was kidnapped on his way from home to mosque to offer Friday prayers on January 14, 2011.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2012.