Two get 17-year jail term in police attack, illicit arms cases

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has awarded a collective sentence of 17 years in jail to two men in cases pertaining to an armed attack on police and the possession of illegal weapons.

Shakeel and Iqbal were found guilty of attacking police with the intention to kill them, and possessing unlicensed pistols within the jurisdiction of the Nazimabad police station in May 2022.

The ATC-X judge, who conducted the trial at the judicial complex inside the central prison, ruled that the prosecution was able to prove the charges against both the accused persons through cogent, reliable and confidence-inspiring evidence.

The judge awarded eight years of rigorous imprisonment to the convicts for the offence punishable under the Pakistan Penal Code’s (PPC) Section 324 (attempted murder).

They were also handed down a two-year imprisonment for the offence of assaulting or using criminal force to deter public servants from discharging their duties as defined under the PPC’s Section 353. Moreover, the court sentenced both the accused to seven years of imprisonment for possessing unlicensed pistols.

The convicts were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs230,000 each or undergo an additional two and a half years of imprisonment in case of non-payment. The judge said that all the sentences awarded to the convicts would run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, on May 8, 2022, the accused riding a motorbike opened fire on a police party near Paposh Nagar, Nazimabad, with the intention to commit murder, and deterred them from

discharging their lawful

duties.

When the police retaliated, both the accused suffered wounds and fell to the ground, then they were apprehended. During a search, police found two 9mm and 30-bore pistols on them.

In their statement, however, the accused denied the allegations of the prosecution, and claimed innocence. Separate FIRs were lodged under sections 324, 353 and 34 of the PPC, and Section 23(i)(a) of the Sindh Arms Act.