LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Monday handed down a collective imprisonment of sixteen and a half years to each of the five accused who attacked a vigil held by civil society to mark 5th death anniversary of Punjab’s slain governor Salman Taseer.

The court convicted the suspects ─ Adeel, Furqan, Kashif, Iftikhar and Wazir Ali ─ under five different sections of laws.

Presiding Judge Haroon Latif Khan handed down five-year term to them under section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, three and a half years under Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), two years, under Section 149 of PPC, three years under Section 153-A of the PPC and three years under section 148 of the PPC.

The court also imposed Rs40,000 fine on each of the convicts who would have to undergo six-month additional imprisonment for failing to pay the amount.

The court acquitted two accused – Din Muhammad and Sajid – of charges as they were not found guilty.

Trial of the prime suspect, Mumtaz Sindhi, was yet to be completed.

More than a dozen baton-wielding men had attacked the participants in the candlelight vigil held at Liberty Chowk in Lahore to mark the death anniversary of Salman Taseer on Jan 4, 2015.

The attackers tore the banners, pictures and posters displayed at the venue and also thrashed the activists holding the vigil.

They also raised slogans in favour of Mumtaz Qadri, a former police guard who shot dead the then governor in Islamabad for supporting a blasphemy convict, Asia Masih, and was later sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court.

Fence along drain: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) to construct within 45 days a fence along the Green Town drain.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan passed the order on a petition filed by Razia Sultana advocate.

The petitioner stated a number of passersby and motorcyclists had fallen into the long open drain of Green Town. Such incidents would increase during the winter due to thick fog at night, she said.

She added the government had constructed the main boulevard of Green Town at a cost of Rs100m but left the low-cost work of the fence along the drain. Nishter Town Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) Safiullah appeared before the court on behalf of the government.

Justice Khan directed the TMO to ensure construction of the fence within 45 days and submit a compliance report.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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