PESHAWAR, May 22: Pronouncing the first ever conviction under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, in the NWFP, the newly established anti-terrorism court here on Wednesday sentenced a man, Waqarul Mulk, to death on two counts in the murder case of dental surgeon Jawed Iqbal.

The case was referred to the anti-terrorism court on April 12. The individual faced trial for abducting and killing Dr Jawed and snatching his vehicle.

The court, presided over by Judge Akhter Zareef Khan, also sentenced the man to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs100,000 on account of stealing the vehicle of the murdered surgeon.

The deceased, Dr Jawed, had disappeared last year on Oct 28 when he was returning home from his clinic. The next day his body was recovered from a deserted area in Hayatabad.

The prosecution claimed that the Mulk was arrested while he was driving the vehicle of the deceased. It was alleged that on the pointation of Mulk, the mobile phone of the deceased and the pistol used in the offence were recovered.

The court observed that the prosecution had proved its case without the shadow of a doubt. The court had examined 17 prosecution witnesses and conducted nine hearings in the case.

After the pronouncement of the verdict, Mulk told newsmen that he was innocent and that he was falsely implicated in the case by the police due to public pressure. He stated that he was arrested on Nov 2, 2001, whereas his arrest was shown on Nov 4. He claimed he was severely tortured and forced to confess to a crime which he did not commit.