PHC sets aside life imprisonment

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has set aside life imprisonment of a terror suspect due to lack of evidence.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Abdul Shakoor set aside conviction of Jan Badshah.

The sentence was awarded to him under Section 121, 121 A PPC read with section 27 of Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation, 2011 by erstwhile APA Bara on October 2, 2010.

Shabbir Hussain Gigyani, counsel for the convict, said that it was the appeal decided by the high court against conviction under Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation, 2011.

The lawyer argued that the sentence was awarded to the convict by the erstwhile APA Bara on allegations of his complicity with Lashkar-e-Islam, a banned militant organisation, for waging war against the state and participation in attack on armed forces.

The lawyer said that the court acquitted the terror convict on grounds of lack of evidence and prior illegal detention by security forces.

Dozens of such-like appeals have been filed in the PHC against conviction by erstwhile political agent and assistant political agent in terrorism charges on the reports of joint investigation teams, as people were first picked by security forces and then handed over to political administration for conviction under the FCR and Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation 2011 after merger of erstwhile Fata and extension of jurisdiction of high court and Supreme Court in the erstwhile Fata.

People warned against aerial firing on Chand Raat

The capital city police have warned the people against aerial firing on Chand Raat and said all those involved would have to spend the Eid behind bars.

All the sub-divisional police officers and station house officers have been directed to mobilise the public, community elders and elected representatives to discourage aerial firing on Chand Raat and other festive occasions.

“All the SDPOs and SHOs have been clearly told that they will be responsible if any aerial firing was reported in their areas. The people have been warned that whoever violated the ban will have to spend the Eid behind bars,” Capital City Police Officer Qazi Jamilur Rehman told The News. The CCPO said they have written letters to around 500 religious scholars to discuss the issue in Friday sermons. “This is not only a crime but a social and moral issue. The religious scholars can play an important role to discourage this trend,” said the CCPO. The official said that an awareness campaign against aerial firing had been launched in the urban, rural and suburban localities by engaging local elders and religious scholars.