25 December 2004	Saturday	12 Ziqa'ad 1425

KARACHI, Dec 24: A division bench of Sindh High Court, comprising Justice Wahid Bux Brohi and Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffery, on Friday admitted for hearing a state appeal for enhancement of the sentence of Harkatul Mujahideen Al Alami in the Macedonian consulate blast case and issued notice to respondents.

Syed Sohtail Akhtar alias Mustafa, Zafar Iqbal, Naeem Rafi, Mohammad Atif, Mohammad Khalid, Mahmoodullah, Abdul Razzaq, Samirullah and Syed Ahmar Kazmi were sentenced to life imprisonment twice by an Anti-Terrorism Court on Aug 25.

They were prosecuted on charge of killing three persons - Hameed Masih, Mohammad Asif and Ms Ghazala Parveen - on Dec 5, 2002. The three were present at the office of honorary Macedonian consulate in DHA.

Pleading for enhancement of the sentence, AAG Sindh Habib Ahmed stated that the sentence awarded to the respondents by the trial court was not in accordance with law and it is liable to be enhanced.

He submitted that the trial court without mentioning any mitigating circumstances awarded lesser punishment despite the fact that the accused killed three people and destroyed the consulate in blast, therefore, they do not deserve any leniency.

It was further submitted that respondents belong to a proscribed terrorist organization which is involved in terrorist activities. The court, admitting the state appeal for hearing, observed that the AAG is justified in contending the strong reason and the contention requires consideration. The court also directed the office to tag the appeal with the main appeal of the respondents who are jail in view of life imprisonment. -PPI