GUJRANWALA: Anti-Terrorism Court No 2 on Wednesday handed down death sentence on 24 counts to 19 accused of killing 12 people including seven women and three children.

ATC Judge Muhammad Ittefaq Abbasi also awarded life term on 24 counts to an underage accused and issued arrest warrants for six absconders.

According to the prosecution, Arshad, Ahsanullah, Sufain, Luqman, Imran, Asghar, Zakaullah, Abdul Razaq, Ishaq, Ilyas, Ashraf, Mudassar, Khursheed, Ghulam Nabi, Waqar, Riaz, Imran and Shafqat had shot dead and burnt bodies of Khushi Muhammad, Wali Muhammad, Hajra, Bisma, Abdullah, Tanzila, Maira, Ijaz, Arshad Bibi, Fajar, Mafia, and Bushra Bibi over a murder enmity on Dec 29, 2011.

Police had arrested the accused and submitted charge-sheet to the court. The judge announced the verdict amid tight police security. The convicts were shifted to the central jail.