KARACHI, Aug 19: An anti-terrorism court sentenced on Tuesday two workers of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi to death and two others, including the chief of the banned outfit, to life term, on each count of six murders.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch, who conducted the trial inside the juvenile prison due to security reasons, condemned Ataullah alias Qasim and Mohammad Azam alias Sharif to death. Lashkar chief Mian Muhammad Ajmal, better known as Akram Lahori, and an activist, Tassaduq Hussain, were awarded life term.

The four accused were found guilty of killing six faithfuls and injuring four others, in an attack on the Mehfil Ali Al-murtaza Imambargah, during Maghrib prayers on Oct 4, 2001, in Mehmoodabad.

The prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum, examined in all 22 prosecution witnesses, including three injured faithfuls, who had seen Ataullah and Azam opening fire on them.

While awarding capital punishment, the judge also ordered the convicts to pay Rs100,000 each to the families of the deceased. The defaulter on the payment would have to undergo an additional six month term, the judge further ordered.

The two condemned convicts were also ordered to pay Rs200,000 each as Diyat (compensation) to the victims’ families. The defaulter on the payment of compensation would have to suffer an additional one-year term.

The six faithful killed in the incident were: Gulzar Hussain, Arshad Gulzar, Ghulam Rasool, Syed Raza Zaidi, Waseem Raza and Faizan Abbas. The injured were, Ghaffar Hussain, Iftikhar Hussain, Naeem Abbas and Azhar Hussain.

Three of the injured appeared as eye-witnesses to the incident and identified accused Ataullah and Azam as attackers before a judicial magistrate and as well as the trial court.

The judge awarded a lesser punishment (life term) to accused Lahori and Ataullah as, according to the evidence on record, they were not seen opening fire, though they were present outside the Imambargah.

However, the judge imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each on the two accused and ordered that the defaulter on the payment would have to undergo an additional six-month term. The judge also ordered the two convicts to pay Rs100,000 each to the victims’ families or undergo an additional six-month term.

The judge sentenced Ataullah and Azam to different terms, totalling 47 years, for causing injuries to four faithfuls. They were sentenced under sub-section A (vi), D, F (iii) and (vi) of the Section 337 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Lahori, Tasadduq, Ataullah and Azam were arrested on June 29, 2002 around 5am in the phase-1 of the DHA by the Anti-terrorist Wing (ATW), headed by Superintendent of Police, Farooq Awan, on a tip-off.

Earlier, on April 26, Judge Baloch had sentenced the chief of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and his two associates to death for three times on three counts of sectarian murders.

The case pertained to the killing of Anver Tirmizi and Zufiqar Haider in an attack on March 11, last year, within the limits of the Shah Faisal police.

Besides, Lahori, Ataullah and Azam were earlier sentenced to death for killing Dr Aley Safdar Zaidi of the Kidney Centre in Gizri.