Sehwan blast accused convicted by ATC

KARACHI: On Monday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi sentenced ISIS facilitators Nadir Ali alias Murshid and Farhan alias Farooq Brohi to death in connection with the Sehwan bomb blast facilitation case in which over 80 people were killed and several injured. It occurred on 16 February 2017, when a suicide bomber blew himself inside the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sehwan, Sindh.

Public Prosecutor Mohammad Raza said that the convicted persons belonged to the banned international terrorist organization ISIS. On September 11, 2017, the said facilitators Nadir Ali alias Murshid and Farhan alias Farooq Birohi were caught by the Sindh Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) from a seminary of south Punjab. It was believed by law enforcers that this heinous act of terrorism was organized by Hafeez Pindrani Birohi’s group associated with ISIS and the suicide attacker was also his (Birohi) close relative.

The mastermind of this incident and many other deadly blasts in the Sindh province, Hafeez Pindrani Brohi, along with his associate Abdullah Brohi, was killed on March 1, 2019, in an encounter with police and law enforcing agencies in the Dhadhar area of Balochistan; Rs20 million head money was announced for Birohi by the Sindh Home Department.

The accused were indicted by the ATC-XVI after hearing 29 witnesses including three eye-witnesses who voluntarily appeared to depose their testimonies seeking the guarantees of protection. The court also examined the CCTV footages. Contrary to this, the accused claimed innocence but on the basis of evidence, the court rejected the claim.

The judge remarked that in the light of the evidence brought up during the trial, it was proved that the accused facilitated the bomb blast and had allegiance to the Daesh. In the view of the felonies, the accused were awarded death penalty, life imprisonment and fines amounting to Rs1 million each. The case against the absconding accused Safi Ullah, Abdul Sattar, Aijaz Bangulzai, Zulqarnain Bangulzai and Tanveer was put on dormant and perpetual warrants for their arrests were issued.

Meanwhile the judge praised the performance of investigating officers Inspector Ali Haider, Inspector Suhail Ahmed Mirza and Inspector Imtiaz Ali and other police officials for collection of sufficient evidence for the success of the prosecution case.