Lej militants: Akram Lahori case put off over transfer to Hyderabad jail

KARACHI:

Various cases against Akram Lahori, a leader of the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, could not be heard by the Anti-Terrorism Court III on Thursday because Lahori and his accomplices have been transferred to Hyderabad jail.

The cases were being heard inside Central Jail Karachi to maintain tight security. Mohammad Ajmal – whose alias is Akram Lahori – and his aides Ataullah and Mohammad Azam are accused in several cases, including one dealing with an alleged sectarian murder in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority in 2002. The hearings have been rescheduled to August 28. Akram Lahori was one of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s (LeJ) most prominent leaders. However, the execution has been stayed. The LeJ, which is banned in Pakistan, was formed by members of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan in 1996.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2012.