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| India-Pakistan |
| Penalty for sixth convict in Taseer’s vigil attack case |
| 2017-01-28 |
| [DAWN] LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday convicted the sixth and last person involved in an attack on a vigil held by civil society activists to mark the fifth death anniversary of Punjab’s governor Salmaan Taseer in 2015. The presiding judge, Muhammad Azam, sentenced Mumtaz Sindhi a collective imprisonment of sixteen-and-a-half years under five provisions of laws. The court handed down five-year jail term to Sindhi under section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, three-and-half-year imprisonment under section 365 of PPC, two years under section 149 of PPC and three years each under 153-A and 148 of PPC. Previously, the court had awarded the same punishment to five accused in July 2015. They were: Adeel, Furqan, Kashif, Iftikhar and Wazir Ali. Mumtaz Sindhi was declared proclaimed offender and police tossed in the calaboose Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! him at a later stage. The Lahore High Court had already dismissed appeals of the five convicts against their sentence. Civil Society Network President Abdullah Malik, the complainant of the case, said the conviction of all accused was a victory of rule of law. More than a dozen baton-wielding men had attacked the participants in the vigil held at Liberty Chowk to mark the death anniversary of Salmaan Taseer on Jan 4, 2015. The attackers tore the banners, pictures and posters displayed at the venue and also thrashed the activists besides chanting slogans in favour of Mumtaz Qadri, a former police guard who had rubbed out the governor in Islamabad. |
| Posted by:Fred |