Ahead of execution: Death convicts moving from Sukkur to Karachi

LeJ convicts were moved due to security threats in Karachi jail

KARACHI: The prison authorities informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) judges that the two convicts on death row, Attaullah alias Qasim and Muhammad Azam alias Sharif, are being shifted from Sukkur jail to Karachi central prison ahead of their execution set for February 3.

The prison authorities disclosed this before a division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, which was hearing petitions filed by both convicts' families for shifting to Karachi. Attaullah and Azam of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were sentenced to death by the anti-terrorism court in 2004 as found guilty of murdering Dr Ali Raza Peerani on sectarian grounds in 2001.

Last year, both the convicts were shifted to Sukkur following growing threats of a terrorist attack on Karachi prison.

In October last year, the SHC bench had, while hearing petitions filed by the condemned prisoners families, ordered the jail authorities to bring them back to Karachi within 15 days. Filing miscellaneous applications, the families said the officials failed to abide by the court's orders and had sought fresh directions.

During Friday's proceedings, the prosecution and prison officials appeared on the court's notices and explained that both the prisoners are already being shifted to Karachi in compliance with the direction issued by the anti-terrorism court on Thursday.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2015.