Death row convict gets time for appeal
The suspect, Raheemullah alias Naeem alias Ali Hasan, has been accused of being a member of a banned outfit. He challenged the death sentence awarded to him by the Anti-Terrorism Court, Karachi, for kidnapping and killing a transporter, who supplied to Nato forces.
According to the prosecution, Raheemullah along with absconding accomplices, Gul Zareen, Khan Muhammad and Qari Abid Iqbal, kidnapped Shaukat Afridi, in Clifton on May 9, 2008. They demanded a ransom of Rs5 million but killed him. The body was found in Saeedabad on Sept 26, 2008.
In the second case, Raheemullah along with the deceased accused, Zubair Bengali, was charged with hurling a hand-grenade at the residence of Afridi’s brother on July 25, 2008 to force him to pay the ransom. He was also charged of attacking the police when they conducted a raid at their hideout in Saeedabad. The accused men detonated hand-grenades in their hideout and killed three other suspects, Noor Muhammad, Masroor and Jamil.
On January 20 this year, the Anti-Terrorism Court-III awarded him a death sentence, a fine of Rs100,000 and rigorous imprisonment for one year in case he fails to pay. On Tuesday, the appellant submitted his counsel, Maqboolur Rehman, whose appeal was discharged from the Vakalatnama. He requested for time to engage the counsel. SHC division bench gave him two weeks to engage counsel and offered to arrange for a proper advocate to plead his appeal if he failed to do so. The hearing was adjourned to September 22.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2010.
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