DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Sept 29: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment for 24 years after convicting him of being a would-be suicide bomber.

The man, Sohail Zeb, was arrested by the Tank police on March 8.

He was found possessing two jackets used in suicide bombings, explosives and nuts and bolts.

Besides the jail sentence, ATC judge Fayyazullah also fined him Rs50,000.

In case of non-payment of the fine, Sohail Zeb, who was a student of the Tank Degree College, would have to serve two more years in jail.

Sources said Sohail Zeb’s name was in the list prisoners whose release was sought by militants during talks with a tribal jirga held for the release of kidnapped soldiers in South Waziristan.

The convict, whose organisational name was Waheedullah, had admitted during interrogation to having received terrorist training in a camp in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan.

Editorial

Updated 05 Aug, 2026

State of confusion

FROM the looks of it, America has no exit strategy to extricate itself from the disastrous war with Iran. US...
05 Aug, 2026

Pension decision

THE government’s decision to formally operationalise the new Defined Contribution Pension Fund Scheme is a step...
05 Aug, 2026

Preventable deaths

THE deaths of 144 children from measles and diphtheria in Karachi during the first seven months of the year expose a...
Updated 04 Aug, 2026

Swat bombing

IT is a bitter irony that terrorists struck a protest against violence in Swat on Sunday, causing at least 17...
04 Aug, 2026

Tariff blow

FOR an export sector already squeezed by high production costs, the additional 10pc tariff on top of the existing...
04 Aug, 2026

Perilous peaks

THE deaths of 10 climbers in an avalanche on Broad Peak is a sad reminder of the perils that many mountaineers face...