An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday handed down rigorous imprisonment of 19 years to an Afghan national in a 2020 case filed against him for robbing citizens, engaging in a shootout with police with an intent to kill them and possession of illicit arms.
The ATC-XX judge announced the verdict he had reserved after recording evidence and hearing arguments from both defence and prosecution sides. The judge said the prosecution succeeded in proving its charges against the accused, Saifuddin, and sentenced him to seven-year imprisonment for the offence he committed under Section 397 (robbery or dacoity with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
He was handed a two-year jail term for an assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from dischargeing his duty as defined under Section 353 of the PPC. The convict was awarded imprisonment of five years under Section 324 (attempt to murder) and another five years for possession of illicit arms under Section 23 (i) A of Sindh Arms Act.
The court imposed a collective fine of Rs80,000 on the convict and in case of failure to pay the fine, he would have to undergo additional imprisonment of 15 months. The court remanded the convict to the Karachi central prison to serve the sentences that will run concurrently. He was booked in an FIR filed at the Sachal police station in July 2020. The complainant, a labourer, had said that the accused along with his two accomplices on a motorcycle looted him, his brother and their co-workers at gunpoint, and upon resistence, the armed men opened fire at them, injuring his brother and two labourers.
A Sachal police team spotted the alleged robbers as they tried to flee the scene. The accused opened fire at the personnel and, in the ensuing encounter, one suspect, Saifuddin, was injured and later arrested by the police while his accomplices had managed to flee.
Ali Wazir's bail plea
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) adjourned the hearing of a bail plea of detained Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) MNA Ali Wazir after the state prosecutor remained absent for the fourth consecutive hearing.
As the ATC-II judge resumed hearing the bail application moved by the lawmaker seeking post-arrest bail, the prosecutor, Naved Khuhro, was called absent. He was supposed to advance his arguments on the matter. The hearing was adjourned until June 1. Wazir, who faces three sedition cases filed in Karachi, has been charged along with Alam Zaib and Maulana Muhammad Tahir, with violence, making speeches against state institutions and sedition on January 20, 2019 in Sohrab Goth. He has been in jail since December 31, 2020.