19 militants convicted in two months: CTD Peshawar

PESHAWAR: As many as 19 militants involved in different terrorist attacks in the province were convicted by the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATC) during the last two months, statistics of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) disclosed on Tuesday.

Many of those convicted by the courts were awarded life imprisonment as well as other stringent punishments. Besides, heavy fines were also imposed on these convicts after improved investigation of their cases by the CTD and police.

A source said that those convicted had been arrested for transporting or having explosives for sabotage activities, attacks on police and other law-enforcement agencies' personnel and other activities punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.  "The increased rate of convictions in the recent past is a result of the scientific reformation of CTD of the KP Police and subsequent policy of follow-up of the investigation till conviction. The KP Police stands out among the four provinces with the highest conviction rate in the country in terrorism cases," a senior CTD official said.

Commenting on a recent report by KP Prosecution Department, the official stated that over 90 per cent of the terrorists were booked in multiple cases and there is little chance that a terrorist will walk free if not convicted in one case.

"The convictions of high-profile terrorists will not only act as a deterrent but also instil faith in the KP Police and a sense of security amongst the residents of KP province," the Director General Public Relations KP Police SSP Zahidullah told The News.  He added that the investigation wing was further being strengthened and latest technology was being introduced all over KP.

According to the officials of the CTD, those convicted during the last two months included Sheikh Haroon and Afghan national Asmat Ullah, who along with his other two accomplices were arrested by the KP Police in 2015 in a kidnapping for ransom case.

All the accused were sentenced to life in prison, besides a fine of Rs200,000 by the ATC, Peshawar.  In another high-profile case of Peshawar region, Said Umair, Mohammad Kamran and Mohammad Sohail were put behind bars for 23 years and fined Rs500,000 each for opening indiscriminate firing on the police in December 2015.