Three men have been convicted of involvement in the Johar Town Lahore blast in June last year and sentenced to death by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). A female convict, who is the wife of one of the men, was also sentenced to five years imprisonment.
During the trial, presiding ATC court judge Arshah Hussian Bhutta heard 56 statements from witnesses of the bombing which killed three and injured another 21 people. The sentence was read at Kotlakhpat Jail because of lingering security concerns.
The condemned are Peter Paul David, Sajjad Hussain, Eid Gull Khan and Zia Ullah, each of whom received the death sentence on three separate counts. They will also serve 17 years ‘rigorous imprisonment’ and face fines of Rs.350,000 each.
The wife of Eid Gull, Ayesha, was fined Rs.50,000 in addition to the time she will serve behind bars.
According to reports from the Courter-Terrorism Department, on 23 June a vehicle strapped with 25-30 kilograms of explosives detonated near the house of Hafiz Saeed, leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), in Lahore’s upper-middle class Johar Town neighbourhood. The blast left a hole three feet deep and five feet wide, and sprung shrapnel as far as 500 meters from the site. Buildings and cars in the area were destroyed. Three people died and 21 others sustained injuries, including women and children.
