KARACHI: An antiterrorism court sentenced on Wednesday a man to life in prison in the murder case of a child.

M. Hasan was found guilty of killing a nine-year-old boy after kidnapping him near his house in Napier in September last year and subjecting the underage captive to criminal assault.

The judge directed the convict to pay a compensation of Rs100,000 to the legal heirs of the deceased.

The court also handed 10-year imprisonment to the convict for the offence of criminal assault. However, both the sentences will run concurrently.

Man acquitted

Another ATC acquitted on Wednesday a man in an explosives case for want of evidence.

Qari Sajjad Ahmed was charged with carrying a hand grenade in Shah Latif Town in April this year.

The court ruled that there were glaring contradictions in the testimonies of police officers and the bomb disposal squad officials while the documentary evidence of the prosecution was also contrary to the prosecution story.

A police inspector also admitted that the grenade was neither sealed nor packed when it was handed over to him by a sub-inspector and also conceded that the contents of the FIR and the memo of the recovery were contrary to physical position of the hand grenade, it added.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2017