FAISALABAD, Nov 8: The anti-terrorism court awarded death sentence on six counts with a fine of Rs1,200,000 to a convict and life imprisonment with a fine of Rs1,200,000 to three others for killing a general councillor, his brother and brother-in-law.

According to the prosecution, the convicts had shot dead councillor Allah Rakha, his brother Ramzan and brother-in-law Ashraf in Gujjar Basti on July 15 over an election rivalry. Rasib Ali and Shabbir Ahmad were injured in their firing.

The court awarded death sentence on six counts with a fine of Rs1,200,000 to Iftikhar. In case of default, he will have to undergo for 30 years rigorous imprisonment.

Co-accused Akram, Anwar and Abdul Ghaffor were also awarded life imprisonment with a fine of Rs1,200,000 each. If they failed to pay the fine, they will have to undergo another for 21-year RI each. The court acquitted 10 co-accused by giving them the benefit of the doubt.

The judge announced the decision in Jamia Masjid, Eidgah Road.

Committees: Committees are being set up in every tehsil of the district to ensure timely payment to sugarcane growers and safeguard their rights.

This was stated by DCO Iqbal Ahmad Raja while speaking at a meeting in a Jaranwala sugar mill on Thursday.

He said representatives of revenue, labour and agriculture departments, sugar mills concerned and two nominees of the Tehsil Nazim would constitute the committee in every tehsil.

He said action would be taken against officials of the procurement sections of the mills or government departments who were found instrumental in facilitating the operation of unauthorized weigh bridges. He sought a list of authorized weigh bridges from the sugar mills. This would enable the tehsil administration, the revenue department and monitoring committees to ensure that no unauthorized weigh bridge could operate. He directed the labour department to seal the scale of every weigh bridge after checking it.

The DCO directed the mills to take steps for starting crushing season at the earliest so that the fields under sugarcane could be cleared for the sowing of wheat and other Rabi crops.

The participants in the meeting included EDOs of revenue and agriculture, DO of labour, Tehsil Nazims of Jaranwala, Tandlianwala and Samundari besides representatives of the managements of Hussain Sugar Mills, Gojra Samundari Sugar Mills, Crescent Sugar Mills, Chanaar Sugar Mills, Tandlianwala, and Haseeb Waqqas Sugar Mills.