Pakistan: 3 Get Lifer Over Blast Outside JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed’s Residence

Lahore: An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Tuesday handed life terms to three persons for their role in orchestrating a powerful bomb blast outside Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed's residence here in June 2021 that killed three people. Three people were killed and over 20 others injured in the blast outside Saeed's Johar town residence here on June 23, 2021, which also damaged a number of houses, shops and vehicles in the area. Last year, the anti-terrorism court in Lahore handed down death sentences to four other persons in this case. "On Tuesday, the ATC-I Lahore sentenced to death Samiul Haq, Uzair Akbar and Naveed Akhtar in the Johar Town bomb blast after the prosecution presented evidence against them," a court official told PTI. The official said the suspects were convicted under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. "The convicts will have to undergo life imprisonment and 10 years of rigorous imprisonment that will run concurrently," he said.

Judge Abher Gul Khan pronounced the verdict during the in-camera trial proceedings at the high-security Kot Lakhpat Jail here. The official said the three convicts were facilitators of the prime suspects.

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In January 2022 the ATC Lahore sentenced to death Eid Gul of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Peter Paul David, Sajjad Shah and Ziaullah on nine counts in this case.

Another suspect Ayesha Bibi was handed down five years imprisonment. According to the CTD, Eid Gul had installed explosives in the car used in the blast. The car belonged to Peter Paul David and the other three - Sajjad Shah, Ziaullah and Ayesha - were facilitators.

The Punjab government claimed to have unearthed the network of all the "ten suspects" involved in the blast.

Saeed, 72, an UN-designated terrorist on whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested in July 2019 in the terror financing cases.

Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.