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KARACHI, March 17: An anti-terrorism court sentenced on Monday three persons, including a former local woman leader of the Tehrik-i-Insaf and a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, to death in a kidnapping for ransom case.
Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 also ordered forfeiture of the entire movable and immovable property of Masoom Bano alias Huma Jafferi, former secretary of the TI’s women’s wing in Karachi, Sohail Commando, Muttahida worker, and their co-accused Abdul Adeel.
The judge, however, awarded life imprisonment to the fourth accused, Nauman Iqbal, who was prosecuted under the juvenile laws as he was under 18 years of age at the time of the registration of FIR.
The gang of four had kidnapped 11-year-old Saeed Ahmed, son of Raees Ahmed, on Oct 28 last year and demanded had Rs10 million in ransom for his release.
Accused Nauman Iqbal, a neighbour of the victim, kidnapped the boy on the pretext of buying him fireworks for Shab-i-Baraat. As he was going along with Nauman, a car, in which three other accused, including the woman, were riding, stopped ahead of them and Nauman pushed the boy inside the car.
The accused took him to a house in North Karachi where he was confined for two days.
According to the prosecution, the kidnappers, who also faked the kidnapping of their accomplice, Nauman, contacted the hostage’s father by phone and demanded Rs10 million in ransom.
The boy’s family reported the matter to the police and the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee.
The police picked up Khalid, a cousin of accused Nauman, and released him after grilling. Khalid allegedly told his associates to release the two boys as the police had become suspicious about him.
On Oct 30, the kidnappers released the 11-year-old hostage along with Nauman.
The police arrested Nauman following the statement of the boy and then arrested Sohail Commando, Masoom Bano and Abdul Adeel on a lead given by Nauman.
CARBOMB CASE: The prosecution in the US consulate carbomb case closed its side after the statements of the last two prosecution witnesses.
Judge Aley Maqbool Rizvi of the ATC-1, who is holding the trial inside Central Prison, Karachi, fixed March 20 for recording the statements of the accused.
The self-styled chief of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi, Mohammed Imran, his deputy, Mohammed Ashraf, finance secretary, Mohammed Hanif, and two others have been charged with their involvement in the US consulate carbomb explosion that killed 12 people, including five women. 43 people were injured.
Two investigation officers of the case - DSP Nazir Chaudhry and Inspector Dawood Akbar - appeared as the last prosecution witnesses. They were also cross-examined by the defence lawyers.
FRENCHMEN CASE: Judge Feroz Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2 fixed March 19 for the regular hearing of the Frenchmen killing case after the prosecution placed on record a notification for conducting the trial of the accused inside the Central Prison.
Mohammed Asif Zaheer and Rizwanullah, who were allegedly trained in a camp belonging to the Harkat Jihad-i-Islami in Afghanistan, have been charged with the bomb blast near Sheraton Hotel in which 13 people, including 10 Frenchmen, were killed and 23 others injured.
Ten Frenchmen and three Pakistanis were killed and 23 others, including 10 foreigners, were injured, some of them seriously, when a “suicide bomber” driving a car pulled up next to a bus of the Pakistan Navy and exploded the car on May 8 last year in front of Sheraton Hotel.
The bus of the Pakistan Navy was about to move in front of Sheraton Hotel on Club Road, when a red car pulled up beside the bus and blew up with a bang, also destroying it completely and causing damage to shops situated on the ground floor of Pearl Continental and Sheraton hotels.
The dead included Leclerc Jean Yves, Bled Cedric, Groux Pascal, Le Carpentier Daniel, Chevassut Jean Michel, Leconte Pascal, Drouet Claude, Dupont Bernard. A Pakistani woman was also among the dead.
The injured were identified as Leveziel Laurent, Weegall Jean Marc, Madec Laig, Zante Jean Paul, Waupenie Jean Raymond, Waurent Jacques, Donnart Theirry, Jean Pierre, Etasse Claude, Laurent Jaques, Michel Vinduard, Sanson Gilles, Labat Frederic, Kamran Fazil (official of the PN Qasim), Haji Mohammed Nazeer (employee of a foreign consulate), Iqbal Shah (driver of Sheraton), Abdul Aziz, Haji Nadeem, Ali Haider Shah, Lal Sabir, Abdus Sattar and Zaid.
The provincial authorities have notified the appointment of special public prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti in the case.
Gohar Iqbal appeared for accused Rizwan and M. R. Syed for Asif Zaheer.
BOMB BLAST CASE: Judge Feroz Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2 put off the hearing of a bomb blast case against a worker of the Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi as no courtroom was available for the judge.
Judicial Magistrate Irum Jahangir, who had conducted the identification parade of the accused and had recorded his confessional statement, was present to appear in the court to record her deposition.
Judge Aley Maqbool Rizvi of the ATC-1 had already occupied the only courtroom inside the Central Prison for the hearing of the US consulate carbomb case before Judge Bhatti reached there.
Judge Bhatti of the ATC-2, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, fixed March 19 for the next hearing to record further evidence against Sabir Waseem after the deposition of the two witnesses.
Sabir Waseem, an Aalmi worker, has been charged with launching an anti-tank rocket (BM-107) that had pierced through the wall of Commerce College on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road on November 23, 2001.
According to the prosecution, accused Waseem, along with his absconding accomplice, Asif Ramzi, reached near the college to fire the rocket to target Americans staying on the second and third floors of Sheraton Hotel.
It was alleged that the two Aalmi men, carrying the rocket and its locally-made launcher in a kit bag, reached near the hotel on a motorcycle around 9:30pm. The two positioned the launcher on the pushcart of a junk vendor. While accused Waseem was still trying to position the launcher to the hotel, the rocket exploded due to short-circuit and hit the wall of Commerce College. It landed in a classroom making an eight-inch hole in the wall.
According to the bomb disposal squad, the device was an anti-tank rocket, weighing 25 kg with 10-12 kgs of explosive material.
DOUBLE MURDER CASE: The hearing of a double murder case against accused Mohammed Ajmal alias Akram Lahori, Azam and Ata was put off till March 19 as the accused are yet to engage a counsel for their defence.
When the case pertaining to the murder of Anwar Tirmizi and Zulfiqar Haider (PS Sharea Faisal) came up for hearing before Haq Nawaz Baloch, Judge, ATC-5, no counsel for the accused was present.
The ATC judge then put off further hearing to Wednesday as under ATC laws no case can proceed unless accused is represented/defended by a lawyer.
Syed Nadeem Husain Shah is appearing as special public prosecutor.
