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PAKISTAN:Death sentences of 10 changed into life term

The Supreme Court on Friday converted the death sentence of 10 persons, who were convicted on charges of killing 34 persons in 3 incidents of sectarian violence, into life imprisonment.

 Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed, writing for the bench in criminal appeal No.257, changed the death sentence of 6 convicts to life imprisonment.

 The assailants had attacked Al-Khair mosque in Multan, in which 22 persons died and 37 were injured.

 The Multan Special Anti Terrorism Court had convicted Hasan Raza, Ijaz Hussain, Malik Ijaz Hussain alias Heavy, Falak Sher alias Falki, Asad Raza alias Haider Ali Langra and Aga Mohammad Ali alias Shabbar to death on 22 counts each.

 They were also ordered to pay Rs100,000 each, which, in the event of realization, was ordered to be equally distributed amongst the heirs of the deceased.

 They were tried under sections 302 (murder), 324 (attempt to commit murder) and 149 (defiling religious place). The Lahore High Court had upheld their death sentence.

 The SC bench held that the prosecution had been able to establish the case beyond any doubt on the charges under sections 302 and 149.

 The court, however, held: "We direct that instead of death sentence, the appellants shall now suffer life imprisonment each on 22 counts, concurrently." It ordered that the convicts would not be entitled to any remissions under section 382(b).

 In another case, the same bench converted the death sentence of Mohammad Aziz alias Aziz Gujar and Haroon Rashid alias Shahid, on the charges of murdering 10 persons in Mominpura, Lahore, to life imprisonment.

 In the 3rd case, death sentence awarded to Haroon Rashid alias Ali and Imran Ahmad, for murdering 2 persons in Gujranwala, was converted to life imprisonment without any remission.