KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Wednesday awarded 21-year imprisonment to two convicts, said to be associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s London faction, in cases pertaining to possessing explosives and illicit weapons.

The convicts — Mohammad Irshad and Mohammad Bilal Lodhi — were found guilty of possessing explosive substances and illegal arms with an intent to target the leaders of the MQM’s Pakistan faction and other political parties on the occasion of the July 25 general elections in Karachi.

The judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced the verdict, which was earlier reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge awarded them a collective sentence of 21-year imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs60,000 each. They would undergo an additional 18-month imprisonment each on default.

According to the prosecution, the Rangers and police had conducted a joint intelligence-based operation in Orangi Town and detained Irshad and Lodhi on July 18.

During the interrogation, the convicts had disclosed that they were planning the assassination of political leaders to sabotage the peace prior to the polls under orders of their party leaders.

It further alleged that the MQM-L’s South Africa network, led by Qamar Islam Teddi, had set up target killing teams in June to assassinate rival political candidates, including those who had left the MQM-L, to sabotage holding of peaceful elections.

The prosecution further alleged that both the convicts had admitted to have been provided with financial resources by the MOM’s London secretariat.

It claimed that the convicts were assigned the initial task to kill Mohsin Javed and Arif Hussain Qureshi, who were contesting elections on PS-128 from the platform of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party, respectively. Besides, the Pak Sarzameen Party’s office-bearers in Gulbahar Moin and Azhar were also on their list, it added.

The law enforcers also claimed to have recovered explosives and unlicensed weapons from their possession and subsequently booked them in separate cases registered at the Soldier Bazaar police station.

The prosecutor argued that the MQM-L had also provided them arms, which were duly recovered from their possession and pleaded to the court to punish them strictly in accordance with the law.

On the other hand, the defence counsel denied the allegations levelled against their clients and insisted that they were framed in the present cases with mala fide intentions and pleaded to the court to acquit them.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2018