KARACHI, Sept 24: An anti-terrorism court sentenced on Wednesday a worker of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi to death and acquitted the LJ chief and two others in a sectarian murder case.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5, who conducted the trial inside the Juvenile Prison, condemned Ataullah to death and acquitted Mohammed Ajmal alias Akram Lahori, Mohammed Azam and Malik Tassaduq.

The LJ men, represented by M. R. Syed and Sarfraz Tanoli, were prosecuted for killing a security guard, Mohammed Nazeer, at the Mehfil-i-Zainub imambargah in Rizvia Society on April 7, 2002.

Special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined in all 13 prosecution witnesses, including two eye-witnesses.

The two prosecution witnesses deposed that they were going to the imambargah to meet the Pesh Imam when they saw the four accused going on two bikes. They said the accused stopped near the small gate of the Imambargah where guard Nazeer was on duty.

The eye-witnesses said Ataullah opened fire on the guard, who fell to the ground. They said later the accused broke apart the rifle of their victim and rode away on their bikes.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on accused Ataullah, who would have to undergo an additional one-year term in case of default on the payment. The convict was also ordered to pay Rs100,000 as Diyat to the victim’s family or undergo one-year term.

ACQUITTED: The judicial magistrate, West, Ms Alia Malik, acquitted a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a case pertaining to the possession of an unlicensed pistol.