An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi on Wednesday sentenced twice life imprisonment to nine activists of banned Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Al-Alami for their involvement in Macedonian honorary consulate explosion and killing of three persons in December 2002.
ATC Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch, announcing the verdict, also ordered attachment of their moveable and immovable properties worth up to Rs 100,000 each under explosives charges. Besides, the accused were ordered to pay Rs 50,000 each to the legal heirs of victims.
The court also awarded ten years rigorous imprisonment to all accused with fine of Rs 50,000 each on charge of committing dacoity in the consulate.
Syed Sohail Akhtar alias Mustafa, Zafar Iqbal alias Sohail, Naeem Rafi alias Nimi, Mohammad Atif alias Kamran, Mohammad Khalid, Mahmoodullah, Abdul Razzaq alias Bhaiya, Samirullah alias Somi and Syed Ahmar Kazmi were present in the court which announced the verdict in Central Prison, Karachi.
They were prosecuted on charges of killing three persons, Hameed Masih, Muhammad Asif and Mst Ghazala Parveen at midnight on December 5, 2002, who were present at the office of Macedonian honorary consulate in DHA area, Karachi, and later they blasted the office with explosive device.
The charges included that the accused also committed dacoity and took away computer, printer, fax machine, PABX and other articles from the consulate. They were booked under Explosives Act and sections 302, 395, 427 PPC, read with section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act. The prosecution had placed 19 witnesses including two eye witnesses who identified the accused.
The court observed in the judgement that the accused in furtherance of their common intention committed Qatl-e-Amad of Hameed Maseeh, Muhammad Asif and Mst Ghazala Parveen by slaughtering them with dagger after tying their hands and feet with ropes and later committed dacoity of computer, printer and others which were recovered from houses of Abdul Razzak, Mehmoodullah and Zafar Iqbal while the timer which was used in explosion was also secured from house of Zafar.
Defence counsel M R Syed said prosecution could not prove its case and benefit of doubt should be given to the accused. However, he said, appeal against the ATC judgement would be filed in High Court within seven days. Special Public Prosecutor Mazhar Qayum appeared for the State.
The accused were arrested in March 2004 following raids conducted by police in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Clifton areas in Karachi in March this year. During interrogation they admitted their involvement in said case as they intended to take revenge with Macedonian government over killing of eight Pakistani persons who were killed at Macedonian border in March 2002 on suspicion of al Qaeda.