Karachi, Jan 13: A court today sentenced to death two leaders of an outlawed Islamic militant group for killing a minority Shiite Muslim, a prosecutor said.
Atta Ullah and Mohammed Azam, who belonged to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group, were also fined 200,000 rupees each, prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum said.
The two men were captured last year by the police in
the southern city of Karachi in connection with the July 2001
murder of Hamid Rizvi, a local Shiite businessman.
Judge Haq Nawaz said in a ruling in an anti-terrorism court in the city that witness testimony and other evidence led him to conclude the two men were responsible for Rizvi's murder.
The defendants have a right of appeal, he said.
Also today, a suspected member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi surrendered to police in Karachi. The suspect, Mohammed Akbar, is believed to have been involved in attacks against minorities and will soon be brought before a court, said Fayyaz Khan, a deputy police superintendent.
Bureau Report
