SARGODHA, Jan 25: A local Anti-Terrorism Court on Saturday night handed down death sentence on two counts to five convicts and 57 years imprisonment and Rs100,000 fine to their sixth accomplice in the murder case of a civil judge.

The convicts will have to pay collectively Rs650,000 to the bereaved family. In case of default in the payment of fine, they will have to undergo additional five-year imprisonment while their sixth accomplice Zeeshan four-year term.

The convicts were also awarded 23 years imprisonment collectively and fined Rs0.7 million jointly. They will have to undergo further sentence of 37 years collectively if they fail to pay the fine.

According to the prosecution, Naeem, Suhail Ahmed, Yameen, Zainul Arfeen and Sanaul Mustafa and their two accomplices had shot dead Jhang civil judge Mushtaq Ahmed and injured his wife near Shah Nikdar on Nov 30, 2003.

The police arrested the five killers from near Sahiwal while their two accomplices were arrested later on. However, one of the accused died after some days. The judgment was announced amid tight security while the roads leading to court were closed for traffic.