FAISALABAD, Oct 21: An Anti-Terrorism Court handed down two-year imprisonment along with Rs50,000 fine to a former station house officer (SHO) of Ghulam Mohammadabad police for using a vehicle recovered loaded with explosives from the possession of two alleged terrorists.

ATC Judge Ishtiaq Ahmed on Monday announced the verdict under Section 21-J of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The convict, inspector Rana Mohammad Asif, will have to serve two months additional imprisonment in case of default on the fine payment.

The accused remained in the court for sometime but escaped despite police presence before the judgment was announced at 2pm.

On being informed of the absence of the convict, the judge directed SSP (operations) Ghulam Mubashar Maken to arrest and produce him on Oct 26.

The judge also directed the police to prepare a new challan against the people who had been intervening in the case.

On June 4 last, while addressing a press conference then CPO Raja Riffat Mukthar and SSP (operations) Gohar Nafees told reporters that Rana Asif along with his subordinates intercepted a vehicle near Jawad Club, on Narawala Road and recovered a huge cache of weapons and explosives from it.

However, the officers were informed by the journalists that the SHO impounded the vehicle on charges of non-payment of customs duty and started using the seized car.

After a week, the car was sent for washing and a heavy cache of explosives, arms and ammunition including three suicide jackets, 10 Russian and two locally-made hand grenades, 10 remote control kits, 14 electronic detonators, 19 detonators with strikers and two kilo high explosive powder (RDX) was recovered from the vehicle.

Two identity cards – one of Mohammad Usman of 794-D, Subhan Allah Chowk, Ghulam Mohammadabad, Faisalabad, and the other of Zafar Iqbal of Bilal Colony, Multan Road, Lahore, were also recovered from the vehicle.

The CPO on being informed of the illegality got registered a case against Rana Asif under Section 155-C of the Police Order. However, it was not mentioned in the FIR that Asif had been using the explosive-laden vehicle for more than a week and visited different government offices on the car.

The case against the SHO had been registered on the complaint of Gulberg Circle DSP Nasir Mehmood Bajwa.

A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA had allegedly been active in getting one of the alleged terrorists, Usman, released.

Sources privy to the development told Dawn the MPA was asked by the officials of a law-enforcement agency to produce the alleged terrorist or be ready to face a case under ATA section.

They said the police and other law-enforcement agencies had failed to arrest the alleged terrorists released by Rana Asif.

However, the police arrested Muneer Ahmed, uncle of Usman, and recorded his statement, confessing he had secured release of Usman with the help of the MPA. Muneer claimed that Usman had left his house and he did not know about his whereabouts.

An ASI, Allah Rakha, of Ghulam Mohammadabad police told the then SSP (operations) that one of the alleged terrorists escaped from police custody soon after his arrest while Usman, who also tried to escape and failed, was handed over to Rana Asif along with the seized vehicle.

The MPA admitted that he had called the SHO, but claimed that he only sought investigation of the case ‘on merit’.

He said former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah had also called the CPO to get details of the case. He claimed the CPO had cleared him of all charges.