An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi on Saturday awarded a collective sentence of 24 years imprisonment to a suspect associated with the Altaf Hussain-led Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in a case pertaining to dumping of explosives and illicit arms in Karachi's Go Aish amusement park.

Noman Khan was found guilty of possessing explosive substances and illegal weapons which he had dumped in the park in 2017.

He was booked in two separate cases of possession of explosive substances and unlicensed weapons registered at the Gulistan-e-Johar police station.

The ATC-XX judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced in his verdict that the prosecution had proved its allegations against the accused, and sentenced him to 14 years rigorous imprisonment under Section 7(ff) of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

The judge further handed down ten years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 in the second case of explosive substances and unlicensed weapons. In case of failure to pay the fine, the convict will undergo an additional jail term of one year. However, all the sentences will run concurrently.

Examine: The MQM crisis

According to the prosecution, the Rangers received information that an accused named Imbisat, who belonged to MQM-London, had hidden explosive materials and illegal weapons in the public park with the intention to commit targeted killing and terrorism in the city. The paramilitary force subsequently raided a storeroom on March 21, 2017, and found a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

Law enforcement personnel later arrested Noman, while the main accused (Imbisat) was shown as an absconder in the report submitted by the investigating officer of the case.

The defence counsel, Abid Zaman, denied the allegations levelled by the paramilitary force against Noman, arguing that he had been framed in the two cases.

On the other hand, assistant prosecutor general Jawad Awan argued that the prosecution had evidence available to establish the convict's role in the allegations against him and requested the judge to sentence him in accordance with the law.

Noman, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, has decided to challenge the ATC's verdict.

Meanwhile, the case against Imbisat has been shelved, to be reopened upon his arrest or surrender.