KARACHI, June 20: An appellate bench of the Sindh High Court on Friday admitted for regular hearing, an appeal filed by an accused, Sabir Ali Waseem.

The bench, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S Ali Aslam Jafri, also issued notice to the state of the appeal filed by the appellant/accused, convicted and sentenced to serve three consecutive sentences of 10 years each by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) for Karachi division.

According to the prosecution, the accused, in connivance with an absconding co-accused, allegedly launched a rocket attack aiming at a sensitive building, which missed and instead the rocket pierced through the walls of the Government Commerce and Economic College, situated in front of the Pearl Continental Hotel. No loss of life or injury was caused by the alleged attack.

The accused was booked and sent for trial under section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA, 1997), section 3/4 of Explosive Act and section 307, CrPC. He was sentenced after trial against which instant appeal was filed.

The same bench put off hearing of an appeal filed by state against acquittal of accused Dildar Hussain alias Dilawar, while a constitutional petition filed by father of co-accused Shehzad Maqsood alias Munna, and Mohammed Rashid alias Sheerazi, challenging their detention after acquittal was disposed off by the bench, with the observation that the accused can move bail application under section 426 CrPC. Earlier, Jawed Akhtar, state counsel referred to judgement by the apex court in bail pleas filed by the accused in Hakim Mohammed Said murder case, and said that once acquitted, the accused should be released and taken into custody if an appellate court so orders or left free if they furnished security bond to the satisfaction of the court.

The accused were acquitted by an ATC court in a double murder case of PS Joharabad, in which two persons were gunned down by unidentified gunmen.

According to prosecution, Moosa Ali, brother of deceased Imtiaz Ali, lodged an FIR that his brother and a friend were shot dead in a firing incident which took place on 9-2-2001, at 11pm, near Askari Computer Institute, FB Area.—APP