KARACHI, Aug 25: Nine workers of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi were sentenced to life term on Wednesday in the Macedonian consulate bomb blast case by an anti-terrorism court.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5, who pronounced the judgment inside the Central Prison, also ordered confiscation of movable and immovable property of the accused. The accused were found guilty of having committed a bomb blast after stabbing two men and a woman to death on Dec 5, 2002, inside the honorary consulate at DHA's Phase-IV.
The accused are Syed Sohail Akhtar alias Mustafa, Zafar Iqbal alias Sohail, Naeem Rafi alias Nimmi, Mohammed Atif, Sameerullah alias Somi, Mohammed Khalid alias Shahzad, Abdur Razzaq alias Bhiya, Syed Ahmed Kazmi alias Shahbaz and Mehmoodullah.
According to prosecution, the accused entered the consulate building late night and stabbed Hameed Hactor Masih, Mohammed Asif and Ghazala Perveen to death. They planted an explosive device which they detonated with a remote control device after leaving the consulate.
The intruders also took away a computer and a printer from the spot. They were charged with offences under Section 302, 395 and 427 of the PPC, Sections 3 and 4 of Explosives Act and Section 7(b) of Anti-terrorism Act.
Special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined in all 19 prosecution witnesses. The judge sentenced all nine accused to suffer life imprisonment for killing three people under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The accused were also ordered to pay Rs50,000 each to legal heirs of the victims.
The Harkat men were also sentenced to life term for committing the bomb blast under Section 3 of the Explosives Act. Besides, the judge sentenced them to a 10-year term for taking away electronic articles from the consulate. A fine of Rs50,000 was also imposed on the convicts, who would have to undergo an additional six-month term in case of default on the payment.
CORPS COMMANDER CASE: Judge Feroz Mehmood Bhatti of anti-terrorism court fixed Sept 4 for indictment against 10 activists of Jundullah in corps commander motorcade attack case, adds PPI.
The proceeding was initiated in central jail on Wednesday following the jail trial notification issued by home department stating that terrorism cases against Jundullah activists be tried in central jail. When the case cam up for hearing, the copies of PWs statement were supplied to the defence counsels.
Attaur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwa, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoaib Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar and Khalid Rao are charged with attacking on motorcade of Corps Commander Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat on June 10 in Clifton resulting in death of 10 persons, including six army personnel and three policemen.
They were booked under sections 302, 324, 404, 34 of the PPC read with Section 7 of Anti-terrorism Act 1997 and sections 3, 4 and 5 of Explosive Act. Adnan Shah, Muhammad Qasim, Maaz, Shahab, Bilal, Tayab, Hammad and Fasih were declared absconders in the case.
Meanwhile, the court put off hearing of other six cases against Jundullah men till Sept 31. In these cases, they were accused of killing five policemen at Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station; engineering two bomb blasts near PACC on Fatima Jinnah Road; throwing hand grenade in front of the Pakistan Bible Society and planting a bomb in Suzuki hi- roof; attack on Ranger's mobile van in Ferozabad; bomb blast nearMarina Club; and killing of two policemen in Saudabad.
