KARACHI: An antiterrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday sentenced a man, said to be associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, to death for killing four policemen in a targeted attack in a Korangi area in 2015.

The ATC judge found Mohammad Asif, alias Katoo, guilty of killing Assistant Sub-Inspector Aqeel Ahmed, constables Mohammad Anwar, Jameel Ahmed and Mohammad Akhtar at the Hanif Nihari House in Korangi.

However, the court acquitted co-accused Faheem Ahmed Lodhi due to lack of evidence.

The verdict was pronounced after recording evidence at the judicial complex inside the central prison.

The judge also handed down a collective 18-year additional imprisonment for the offences under Sections 397 (robbery or dacoity), 324 (attempted murder) read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and under Section 23(i) of the Sindh Arms Act 2013.

The court imposed a fine of Rs800,000 on the convict and in case of default he would undergo an additional 17-month imprisonment.

However, the court ruled that all the sentences would run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, the policemen were having lunch at the eatery when Asif, Mohammad Bilal, and Abdul Salam had opened shot them dead. The attackers escaped and also took away the policemen’s official weapons.

One year later, the investigating officer received information that eight suspects had been killed in an encounter and from them some official sub-machine guns were recovered.

The IO visited the crime scene with a witness, who identified Bilal and Salam, who had been killed in the encounter.

Later, the Zaman Town police arrested Asif in another case and the IO officially shown him arrested in the targeted killing case of the policemen.

The defence counsel pleaded that his client was falsely implicated in the case due to his association with the MQM.

He said that the case was politically motivated.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2024