An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Dera Ghazi Khan has sentenced a man to death for murdering another on court premises.
The court freed three other accused in the same case giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Muhammad Salim had allegedly shot and killed Riaz Chandia.
Chandia was brought to the court in Dera Ghazi Khan in October, 2013.
Chandia had allegedly murdered Slaim’s father, Azam, in February, 2013 over a financial dispute.
According to the prosecution, Salim’s brother Muhammad Ali, uncle Muhammad Qasim and another man Asif had helped him.
Salim had tried to flee after shooting Chandia in Dera Ghazi Khan. However, some policemen deputed there had arrested him and seized the murder weapon. Ali and Qasim were also taken into custody.
Asif managed to escape but was arrested but police conducted raids and found him hiding in a house.
The Civil Lines police had registered a case against the four under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
Judge Sajjad Hussain had heard the case.
On Thursday, arguments in the case drew to a close. The judge sentenced Salim, finding him guilty.
He was also fined Rs2.5 million. The amount will be paid to Chandia’s family. If Salim fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve six months in prison.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ