Pardon pleas of two death row prisoners rejected

Karachi
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday rejected the pleas of pardon of two death row prisoners citing the document submitted by the families as inadmissible under the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. A new date for their executions would be fixed soon.
The court while referring to the
ATA provisions observed that a settlement reached by payment of Qisas was not enough to get the sentences pardoned.
Families of Muhammed Afzal and Muhammed Faisal, on death row for murdering Abdul Jabbar during a robbery in Korangi in 1998, had earlier moved the Sindh High Court to stay the executions after the victim’s family had pardoned the accused following the payment of blood money.
The ATC concerned had on March 4 upheld the SHC’s five-day stay - issued on March 2 to give the families a chance to approach an ATC - but had asked the families to submit a legal document as a proof of the pardon.
The ATC headed by Anand Ram Seerani had deferred the hangings till March 6.
The two convicts along with a co-accused, Kashif Khan were awarded the death penalty on July 7, 1999. Khan, however, died during trial.
Petitions challenging the verdict were filed by the convicts in the SHC as well as the SC but were dismissed.
The prisoners had then sent mercy petitions to President Mamnoon Hussain who along with six other mercy pleas from Sindh rejected their appeals too.
At least 22 prisoners have been executed after the moratorium on death penalty was lifted in the wake of the Peshawar school attack on December 16, 2014.
Two convicts associated with a banned militant outfit were hanged at the Karachi Central Jail on February 3. They were found guilty of killing a doctor in Soldier Bazaar area in June, 2001.
Mohammed Azam alias Sharif and Attaullah alias Qasim were sentenced to death in 2004, for the murder of Dr Ali Raza, by an ATC in Karachi. Both the convicts were moved to Sukkur jail from where they were brought to Karachi on January 19.
Strict security arrangements have been made at the central jail for the last couple of days where police, Rangers and army personnel were deployed to thwart any terrorist attack.
Two ‘target killers’ remanded
An anti-terrorism court remanded two suspected target killers were remanded in Rangers’ custody for 90 days on Friday.
Producing Shakir and Rehan before the ATC-II, a Rangers law officer submitted that the law enforcers were empowered under Section 11-EEEE to arrest suspects and detain them for 90 days to interrogate them.
The court was also told that the Rangers had evidence against the two suspects of their involvement in criminal activities.
The court placed the documents submitted by Rangers on record and the two suspects were taken away to the central prison.
Separately, a judicial magistrate remanded Hasham, an alleged activist of the Haqqani Network Taliban, in Ferozabad police custody for interrogation.
Hashim was arrested at Adam Arcade on Shaheed-e-Millat Road. He is believed to be involved in many killings.
The judicial magistrate East was told that the suspect had been remanded by an ATC and he was being interrogated. Hashim had arrived in Karachi three months ago and was planning to carry out terrorist activities in the city before he was arrested.