KARACHI, May 17: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday appointed a counsel for an activist of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi in a sectarian killing case on state expenses to pursue his appeal which has been filed against his conviction.

Abdul Wahab was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi for killing Khadim Hussain Sarab and Mohammad Baqar Sarab in Aram Bagh on Feb 27, 2003. The trial court, however, acquitted two co-accused Shahnawaz alias Shani and absconding co-accused Shaukat of charge. The appellant was asked to appoint counsel to pursue his appeal.

As the matter was taken up before SHC's division bench, comprising Justice Zia Pervaiz and Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffery, none appeared on his behalf.

AAG Sindh Habib Ahmed requested that counsel be appointed to the appellant on state expenses so that the appeal could be heard and decided.

The court, observing that despite repeated direction, the appellant has not appointed counsel to pursue his case, ordered that Khadim Hussain, advocate, be appointed as his counsel on state expenses and an intimation be sent to the appellant through jail authorities.—PPI