KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Saturday handed down a collective sentence of 35 years to an accused, said to have links with militant Islamic State (IS) group, for possessing illicit weapons and explosives.
Furqan alias Azam was found guilty of possessing unlicensed weapons and explosives within the jurisdiction of the Malir City police station in 2019.
He has already been sentenced to death for facilitating a suicide bomber who blew himself up in the packed-to-capacity courtyard of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine in Sehwan killing around 70 pilgrims and wounded several others on Feb 16, 2017.
On Saturday, the ATC-V 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 noted that the prosecution successfully proved the charges against the accused beyond a shadow of doubt.
The court awarded him 14-year imprisonment on count of possessing explosives and another sentence of 21 years for keeping unlicensed weapons. However, all the sentences shall run concurrently.
It also ordered forfeiture of the convict’s movable or immovable properties under Section 5-A (forfeiture of property) of the Explosive Substance Act, 1908.
State prosecutor Rizwana Jalib argued that the accused during interrogation disclosed to have dumped explosives and weapons in the Jahari Dar forest along the Malir river.
She added that police recovered one rifle, three .30-bore pistols, a hand grenade and bullets.
Defence counsel Khalid Hashmat pointed out contradictions in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses recorded first before the police, under Section 161 (examination of witnesses by police) of the Criminal Procedure Code, and then before the court arguing that the same had been recorded in year 2020 after a period of one year.
Therefore, the same could not be relied upon to convict the accused, he said and pleaded the court to acquit his client.
In his statement, recorded under Section 342 (power to examine the accused) of the criminal procedure code, the accused denied the allegations and claimed his innocence.
Four cases were registered against him under Section 21(i)-A of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013, Sections 4 (punishment for attempt to cause explosion or for making or keeping explosive with intent to endanger life or property) and 5 (punishment for making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances) of the Explosive Substances Act and Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Malir City police station on behalf of the state.
Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2022
