KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Friday sentenced three militants to a collective 21 years in prison in cases pertaining to possession of explosives and illicit weapons.

The court found Qari Obaid, Ikramullah and Shahzad, said to be associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), guilty of carrying explosive material and unlicensed weapons last year.

An ATC judge, who conducted the trial inside the Karachi Central Prison, handed down I4-year imprisonment to the convicts in explosives case and seven-year imprisonment for keeping illicit weapons.

However, both the sentences would run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, the Counter Terrorism Department had arrested the accused and alleged that they were affiliated with the proscribed TTP and planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the city.

The cases were registered against them under Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and Section 23(1)(a) of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013 read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2017