SC upholds life imprisonment of man claiming Imam Mehdi

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday upheld the life imprisonment awarded to Shahbaz Ahmed and others, belonging to Faisalabad city, who had claimed in 2005 that he was Imam Mehdi.

An Anti-Terrorism Court of Faisalabad had awarded death sentence to 27 persons for blasphemy, murder and terrorism charges in 2005, however, the Lahore High Court converted their sentences into life imprisonment and also dropped the charges under 295-C in 2009 whereas the high court had also released one person for being underage.

The case against the petitioners was that they had proclaimed one of them, Shahbaz Ahmed, as “Imam Mehdi” and had invited the people to follow him and warned that if he was resisted, the country as a whole and the city of Faisalabad in particular would face destruction.

To further project their viewpoint, the petitioners along with others started a procession in motorcars and proceeded towards the Motorway. It was alleged that the participants of the procession were duly armed. The police were informed about this incident, which proceeded to stop the procession.

According to the police, some of the persons in the procession started firing at the police personnel stationed at the Motorway Interchange of Faisalabad. That when the police party headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police, reached the spot, the processionists resorted to firing upon them, injuring four of their companions, namely, Navid alias Nazir Tahir Ahad, Babar Shafi and Abid. Babar Shafi, later on passed away.

Shahbaz Ahmed and his followers were found guilty of committing blasphemy, attacking police force, creating harassment and for indiscriminate firing by using illegal weapons. The accused persons were sentenced in response to a complain of Malik Rasheed Ahmed, DSP City at Police Station Nishatabad, District Faisalabad.

An FIR 1081/2005 was launched on December 15, 2005 under Sections 7, Anti-terrorism Act, 1997, 16, Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, 427, 324, 353, 295-B, 295-C, 149, 186, 146, 148, Pakistan Penal Code and 13, of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965 in the matter.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali while announcing the reserved judgment in response to appeal of  26 convicted accused including Shahbaz Ahmed, ruled that it is clear that case of appellant Shahbaz Ahmed son of Shah Muhammad is distinguishable from other appellants, therefore, by extending them benefit of doubt, their appeals are partly allowed to the extent that conviction of all the appellants, except appellant Shahbaz Ahmed, under sections 302 (b), 324, 337L (2), PPC and sections 7(a) and 9 of the ATA is set aside, while their convictions under other provisions of law awarded by the trial court, as modified by the appellate court, are upheld”.

The court held that as a result they will be entitled for the benefit of all the remissions and benefit of Section 382-B, Cr.P.C from the date of their arrest asking the concerned office to inform the jail authorities accordingly. “In so far as appellant Shahbaz Ahmed son of Shah Muhammad is concerned, his appeal is also partly allowed to the extent that his conviction under section 302(b) and 324, PPC is set aside, while sentences under other provisions of law awarded to him by the trial court, as modified by the appellate court, are upheld”, the judgement ruled.