KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sentenced a man to death on Tuesday for his involvement in the 2005 bomb blast which took place at Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) in which four people were killed and around 20 were injured.
The ATC-II, after recording evidence and hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence counsels, convicted Abdul Hameed Bugti and sentenced him to multiple terms.
Bugti was handed down the death sentence for murder, life in jail for possessing and using explosive material, seven years on charges of attempted murder and 14 years for damages to the building. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs1.8 million on him with directions to pay Rs0.2 million each to the legal heirs of the deceased and Rs50,000 to the injured.
The court also ordered to seize moveable and immoveable property of the accused. The prosecution examined 20 witnesses in the case to prove charges against him.
Bugti was facing charges under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code that deal with murder, attempted murder, common intent, causing mischief and abetment, sections 3 and 4 of the Explosives Act, and section 7 of the Anti- Terrorism Act of 1997.
Four security guards – Sabz Ali, Iftekhar, Javed Iqbal and Noor Rehamn – were killed and 21 others wounded when a powerful car bomb exploded in front of the PIDC House.
Bugti, who is believed to be the ‘mastermind’ behind the blast, was arrested on June 29, 2007 within the limits of the Garden police station and was subsequently sent to jail. On May 31, 2007 ATC-V had sentenced two brothers, Mangla Khan and Aziz Khan, co-conspirators of the blast, to death on count of murder and also sentenced them to 10 years in prison for injuring people. The court also sentenced the two brothers to life imprisonment for possessing and using explosive materials.
A case, No.145/2005, under sections on premeditated murder, attempted murder, mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs50, punishment of abetment, common intention of the Pakistan Penal Code read with section 3/4 of Explosives Act and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Court, 1997, was registered at Artillery Maidan Police Station in 2005.
