KOHAT: The Anti-Terrorism Court, Kohat, on Wednesday sentenced a terrorist of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs1 million as well for kidnapping 16 workers of a cellular company and killing one of them later.

A case was registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department, Kohat region, against the outlaw, namely Azizullah of Alikhel tribe of Orakzai, who lived in Qazi Banda area of Kohat, for kidnapping the labourers and killing one of them, namely Gulfaraz of Okara on July 11, 2021.

The terrorist had reportedly taken Rs7 million ransom from the contractor of the under-construction mobile tower, wherefrom the labourers were picked, and freed rest of them on July 15, 2021.

The labourers were abducted from Kurram district on June 26, 2021. The terrorist belonged to notorious Hafiz Daulat group. His accomplices, however, are still at large.

The CTD had arrested Azizullah on August 18, 2021 and recovered Rs6.7 million ransom from him.

He had told the police that he bought arms from the rest of Rs300,000 for the terrorist group on the orders of its head, Daulat Khan. The police had also recovered the weapons, which included a heavy machine-gun, an anti-aircraft gun, 700 12.7 cartridges and three grenades.

He was put on trial in anti-terrorism court, where the CTD lawyers proved the crime against him.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2022