Five activists of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) were handed down capital punishment by an anti terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday on charges of killing a police constable and an under-trial prisoner (UTP) in an ambush on a prison van near the city courts in 2002. According to the prosecution, Sabir Ali Waseem, Faizal Pehalwan, Mazharul Hasan, Muzamil and Malik Tasaduq had opened fire on a jail van that was escorting the UTPs back to Central Prison Karachi after a hearing at the sessions courts at the City Courts Complex on February 28, 2002 in the limits of Bohra Pir police station. Police constable Shakeel Arshad and UTP Saqib were killed in the ambush.
Presiding Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of ATC-V had earlier reserved judgment after recording the evidence and hearing arguments of the defence and prosecution. On Tuesday, the judge awarded the death sentence to all the convicts and handed down prison sentences of various terms for injuring policemen and UTPs and causing damage to property.