KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Wednesday sentenced two men to death for plotting terrorist attacks on key government installations at the behest of Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in 2021.

The court found Zahidullah alias Suleiman, said to be a would-be suicide bomber, his handler Col Bismillah alias Haji Lala of Afghan intelligence, Mohammad Qasim alias Haji Siddiq, Inamullah alias Bilal and Gul Mohammad guilty of plotting terrorist attacks, possessing explosives and illicit arms and engaging in an encounter with law enforcers in Shah Latif Town on Feb 8, 2021.

On Wednesday, the ATC-XII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge handed down death sentence to Zahidullah and Bismillah on the count of “waging a war against Pakistan”, and ordered them to pay a fine of Rs1 million each.

ATC jailed three co-accused for life

The judge awarded life imprisonment to all the five accused on the counts of collecting arms with intention to wage a war against the state, conspiring to wage war and committing acts of terrorism.

The judge also handed down life imprisonment to all the accused for possessing explosives.

Additionally, they were handed down 14-year imprisonment each for possessing unlicensed weapons used in the offence.

Besides, the judge awarded them a collective sentence of 14-year imprisonment on the counts of encounter and attempt to murder.

The judge noted that the defence side failed to shake the credibility of judicial magistrate — prosecution witness Gulraiz Memon — who had recorded the confessional statement of the accused.

The judge further noted that Zahidullah was supposed to carry out a suicide attack in the Sindh Assembly building during its sessions on the directions of Col Bismillah.

The court added that Col Bismillah, who was earlier working for the Afghan intelligence, started working for India from 2020 upon directions of Abdul Wasay and Muhammad Wali Afghani, who were working for India.

Upon the directives of both the Indian agents, Bismillah planned to attack the Sindh Assembly building for which he constituted a team and tasked Zahidullah to take an explosives-laden rickshaw inside the assembly building along with accused Laal Muhammad, who was killed during an encounter with police at the time of the arrest of other accused.

“So, the offence of two accused persons i.e. Zahidullah and Bismillah is most serious and heinous in nature and such conspiracy, deem to be wage war against Pakistan.

“Nowadays, the normal warfare is not possible, but several elements are waging war indirectly that is called proxy war, as these accused persons were waging war as proxy of foreign intelligence agency,” the judge noted.

Regarding the role of other accused, the judge wrote that Gul Muhammad, who is the only Pakistani connection of the accused persons, played the role of facilitator and arranged a house on rent in Karachi and also helped Colonel Bismillah in purchasing a rickshaw.

He added that the role of accused Inamullah is that on the directions of Indian agents, who were stationed at Kandahar and Kabul, he contacted Col Bismillah upon directions of Ahmed Wali Afghani to support attack on the Sindh Assembly building.

Separate cases were registered under the relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, Section 23(i)a of the Sindh Arms Act 2013 and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act at the CTD police station on behalf of the state.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2022