MIRPURKHAS, Oct 31: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday sentenced a former SHO of the Digri police station and the investigation officer of an attempted murder and police encounter case to four months in prison for lodging a false FIR and implicating innocent people in it.

Judge Ghullam Mustafa A. Memon of the ATC, Mirpurkhas also imposed a fine of Rs25,000 each on ex-SHO Inspector Ghulam Sarwar Zardari and IO Zulfikar Ali Kaim Khani and in case of default they would have to undergo one-month imprisonment.

The court also ordered the authorities concerned to take departmental action against Assistant Sub-Inspector Munawar Hussain and Constable Abid Hussain, who were witnesses in the attempted murder case.

The court, however, acquitted constables Mohammad Saleem and Mohammad Rafique.

According to the prosecution, an FIR (2/2011) was lodged on the complaint of the ex-SHO of the Digri police station under Sections 324 (attempted murder), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Panel Code and Sections 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 in 2011.

The former SHO said in the FIR that he had arrested Mohammad Aslam for theft of a number plate of a vehicle. When he was taking him to the police station, accomplices of the arrested suspect, including Abdul Hafeez, Sajjad, Master Ghulam Qadir, Zulfiqar Ali alias Bagh Ali, Haji Dal, Sulaiman alias Sahtio, Master Ghulam Haider, Bahawal and Jumoon, intercepted them near Kingoro Shakh, attacked the police team and fled along with the held suspect, he added.

Inspector Kaim Khani conducted the investigation of the case, but the prosecution failed to prove its case in court and on Feb 2 the same ATC acquitted all the nominated accused.

The ATC also issued show-cause notices to the ex-SHO Digri, IO, witnesses ASI Munir Hussain and constables Abid Hussain and Mushir constables Mohammad Saleem and Mohammad Rafique.