The Court noted that the petition for review was filed after an extraordinary delay of 1,598 days.
Police officers walk past the Supreme Court of Pakistan building, in Islamabad, Pakistan April 6, 2022. REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court has dismissed the review petition filed by Mushtaq Ahmed, a convict involved in the killing of policemen.
A trial court found Ahmed guilty of killing two policemen and a serviceman in Lahore and sentenced him to death. The Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the verdict.
The convict appealed the order to the Supreme Court, which commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. Ahmed then filed a review petition against this order.
In a written judgment delivered by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, the court observed that attacks on law enforcement personnel amount to terrorism. He further said that targeting government officials constitutes a direct attack on state powers and the judiciary.
The court noted that the review petition was filed after an extraordinary delay of 1,598 days. It found that the applicant had not provided any reasonable justification for such a prolonged delay.
The judgment further stated that the charges against the convict – the killing of two police officers and a constable while on duty – had been proven.
The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 is a comprehensive legislative framework passed by the Parliament of Pakistan to prevent terrorism and sectarian violence and ensure speedy trial for heinous offenses across the country.
