HYDERABAD: Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Wednesday set aside sentence handed down by Anti-Terrorism Court Benazirabad to Ismail Dahiri, a close aide of Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and former adviser to Sindh chief minister.

The ATC had sentenced Dahiri to 34-years imprisonment last year under different charges of possession of illicit weapons, explosive substance and a hand grenade after he was booked in a case by Daulatpur police following a joint raid by police and Rangers on his bungalow in Daulatpur, Benazirabad, on June 27, 2018, a month before July 2018 general election.

The case was lodged under Sections 23-A of Sindh Arms Act, 4 and 5-B of Explosive Substances Act 1908 and Section 6/7 (EE) of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. Police had claimed recovering five Kalashnikovs, one 9mm pistol, some shells of guns and 260 bullets.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2020