ISLAMABAD: Former chief technician of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Khalid Mehmood, who was convicted by the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Army Act for his role in the assassination attempt against former president retired General Pervez Musharraf, was executed amid tight security in the Adiala Jail on Friday night.

Sources told Dawn that as many as 27 members of his family had been brought to the prison from their native town Talagang in the Chakwal district on Friday morning for a final meeting.

Khalid Mehmood was associated with the PAF’s 310 GC wing and originally hails from Dunyapur in Lodhran district. In addition to him, eight other civilian convicts involved in terrorism-related cases are currently awaiting sentencing on death row in Adiala Jail.

Khalid Mehmood was convicted and sentenced to death by the FGCM on October 3, 2005 for his role in the attack on Gen Musharraf’s convoy at the Nullah Leh bridge on December 14, 2003.

After the conviction and sentencing, he was shifted to prison on October 27, 2010.

The execution was carried out even as the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued notices to the federal government on a petition, filed by Khalid Mehmood’s brother, challenging the execution of three men convicted of being involved in the attempt on Gen Musharraf’s life.

The bench issued notices to the federation and directed a deputy attorney general (DAG) to appear in court on January 12.

DAG Syed Mohammad Anwar Shah told Dawn that no court notice in this matter had been received so far. “I can comment on this matter after receiving the notice,” he said.

Apart from Khalid Meh­mood, the petition named PAF employee Nawazish Ali and civilian Mushtaq Ahmed, who were also supposed to be hanged on Friday night.

The counsel for the convicts told the court that the tribunal awarded death sentences to these accused and later, Air Martial Shahid Lateef, who was heading the PAF court of appeals, dismissed their appeals summarily. The counsel told the court that the convicts were never provided copies of the military court’s proceedings or any documents during hearing of their appeals either.

Sajid Mehmood, the petitioner, maintained that his brother Khalid Mehmood had been serving the PAF and was falsely implicated in the attempted assassination of Gen Musharraf.

The petition said that the PAF tribunal did not even allow the civilian accused, Mushtaq Ahmed, to engage a counsel of his choosing.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2015

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