26 June 2004	Saturday	07 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, June 25: A division bench of Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Muhammad Sadiq Leghari, on Friday admitted the appeal of two convicts in PSO blast case and issued notice to State.

Abdul Wahab Afghani and Shahnawaz alias Shani were sentenced life imprisonment twice with attachment of their property by anti-terrorism court on May 11, 2004. They were prosecuted on charge of planting a bomb in motorcycle at parking area of the PSO House on Feb 3, 2003.

According to the prosecution, the accused hatched a conspiracy to kill SP Farooq Awan of anti-terrorism wing. For execution of their plan, the activists of Harakatul Mujahideen Al-Almi parked motorcycle with explosive near the PSO House. However, the bomb exploded untimely resulting in death of the parking area's ticket collector. Two others, including a policeman, were also injured in the explosion.

Appellants' counsel M.R. Syed submitted before the court that the statements of witnesses were full of contradictions and the trial court's conviction was based on evidences of vitally interested witnesses.

The court was prayed to set aside the conviction of appellants and acquit them in the above said charges.

Meanwhile, the same court also admitted for hearing the State appeal for enhancement of sentence to both activists of the banned outfit in the said case.

According to the Assistant Advocate General Habib Ahmed, the trial court was supposed to award capital punishment to the convicts under the law, as the bomb was planted for terrorism purpose. He stated that the accused committed brutal act of terrorism and they did not deserve any leniency.

He prayed the court to enhance their sentence and award capital punishment to them.

NOTICE ISSUED: Justice Ataur Rahman of Sindh High Court, on Friday, issued notice to the KESC for June 28 while hearing a constitution petition filed by 70 families residing in Nazish Heaven, Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The petitioners maintained that they had been without electricity for the last nine days. They maintained that Ghazi Builders of Hamza Construction Company, who constructed the complex, took Rs50,000 from each allottee under the head of supplying electricity connections but usurped the money.

According to the petitioners, they were paying Rs11 per unit of electricity previously, but, at present they were being charged Rs7 per unit as no load was sanctioned for the complex. The complex was only provided with Temporary Light (TL) Connection, the petitioners maintained.

Dozens of affectees were present in the court when the petition came up for hearing. The counsel for KESC sought time at which the bench put off hearing till June 28 issuing notice to the public utility.-PPI/APP