ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorism Court has issued a written verdict of conviction in terrorism cases against Shaheen Sehbai, Adil Farooq Raja, Syed Haider Raza Mehdi and Wajahat Saeed Khan.
According to the detailed verdict issued by the ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, the accused have been found guilty under Section 121 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Under Section 121, all the accused have been sentenced to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs. 500,000 has also been imposed on each accused.
The accused have also been sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour under Section 120-B. Under Section 121-A, the accused have been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment with hard labour. Under Section 131, the accused have been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment with hard labour. Under Section 11-W of the Anti-Terrorism Act, five years of imprisonment with hard labour was sentenced. Under Section 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act, five years of imprisonment with hard labour was also sentenced. The accused was also sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 382-B. All the sentences will run concurrently.
The accused have been given relief under Section 382-B. The court directed to issue a warrant for the arrest of the absconding accused. The case was registered at Ramna Police Station, Islamabad on June 10, 2023. The accused were tried under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The court completed the trial of the accused in absentia under Section 19(10) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
According to the prosecution, on May 9, 2023, a violent mob spread havoc near Sector G-11/1 Tirmizi Chowk. According to the prosecution, the accused incited the public through social media vlogs and tweets.
The accused incited attacks on military installations and rebellion. Due to the absence of the accused, they were declared proclaimed offenders. The prosecution presented a total of 12 cases in court. Witnesses were presented, USB containing the Vlogs of the accused and social media content was presented in court as evidence, the National Forensic Agency’s digital forensic report became part of the court record, the trial in absentia was completed in accordance with the law, the accused deliberately remained absent from the court proceedings, hatred, terrorism and chaos were promoted through social media content. Adil Farooq Raja incited the public to attack military installations, Shaheen Sehbai and Syed Haider Raza Mehdi’s Vlogs contained inflammatory content, Wajahat Saeed Khan’s tweet further incited the violent mob, the prosecution’s evidence is strong, credible and convincing.
