KARACHI: An antiterrorism court sentenced an accused on Monday to a collective sentence of 35 years in cases of attempted murder, robbery and possession of an illicit weapon.

The court found Abdul Karim guilty of hurting paramilitary soldier Ahsanul Hasan when he along with a Deputy Superintendent of Rangers resisted his attempt to rob them in April 2013 in SITE area.

The ATC-X judge Abdullah Afzal Khan handed down 10 years to the accused under the anti-terror law, seven years each for attempted robbery, robbery with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt and carrying an unlicensed pistol.

In addition, the court imposed fine on the accused and handed him another four years imprisonment for voluntarily causing hurt during robbery. However, all the sentences will run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, DSR Faisal Malik along with a friend and the soldier was traveling in a private vehicle when the robbers intercepted them. The soldier sustained injures during exchange of fire and the accused was captured after he fell injured while his accomplice managed to flee, it added.

Meanwhile, administrative judge of an antiterrorism court accepted on Monday charge-sheets against two suspects in as many cases pertaining to attacks on the Sindh Assembly and the Sindh secretariat in 1990s.

The Rangers had picked up Fahim, alias Mirchi, and Nasir, alias Khajji, said to be political activists, in January and detained them under 90-day preventive detention for inquiry.

The paramilitary force handed them over to police last month who booked them in a 1995 rocket attack case at Sindh Assembly and a blast case on the premises of the Sindh secretariat.

Police filed charge-sheets against them and after admitting their cases for hearing the administrative judge sent the cases to an ATC for trial.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2016