Anti-terrorism court: Bomb attack convict given death sentence

Also told to pay compensation to the tune of Rs2.83 million.

FAISALABAD:

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), on Thursday, awarded death sentence on 48 counts to the man convicted of a bomb blast near an ISI office on March 8, 2011. He was also ordered to pay Rs2.83 million compensation to the heirs of the deceased. The blasts had killed 33 people and injured 84.

According to the prosecution, the attackers could not reach close enough to the office so he blew himself at a CNG station near the office (located at Railway Station Road in the Civil Line Police station area).

The police registered a case under Sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and Sections 302 and 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

ATC Judge Masood Arshad awarded capital punishment to Dr Muhammad Usman Ghani, resident of Kot Islam in Kabeerwala.

The judge awarded Ghani death sentences on 24 counts under Section 302-B of the PPC. The convict was also directed to pay compensation of Rs1.2 million to the legal heirs of the deceased. If he did not pay the compensation, the court ordered, he would serve additional imprisonment of 12 years.



Ghani was ordered similar death sentences and ordered to pay the same amount of compensation under Section 7 of the ATA.

He was also awarded 140 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs420,000 under Section 324 of the PPC and to serve an additional term of 4 years and 8 months in case of non-payment of the fine.

The court acquitted accused Abdur Rehman, resident of Jameel Town, Faisalabad, giving him benefit of doubt whereas 13 others were declared proclaimed offenders.



Shariat Court lifts bar on execution

The Federal Shariat Court on Thursday vacated a stay order on the execution of a man convicted of murder and rape.  A bench headed by Justice Fida Hussain, holding proceedings at the Lahore High Court building, ordered that the death sentence be executed. The convict, Akhtar Hussain, maintained that he was innocent.

The lawyer for Manzoor Ahmed, whom Hussain was convicted of killing, submitted that an anti terrorism court had sentenced the convict and the High Court had confirmed it.

A single bench of the Federal Shariat Court had stayed his execution. He said that it had been proven that Hussain raped his client’s wife, along with some other men, and then killed Ahmed.  After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge vacated the stay order and ordered that the execution be carried out. Our Correspondent

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2013.