KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced two accused to death in a case pertaining to the murder of two policemen.

Mohammad Umer and Mohammad Faazil were found guilty of killing police constables Mohammad Arif and Mohammad Khan in Ittehad Town in May 2012.

The judge of ATC-II, who conducted the trial, read out the conviction order after recording the evidence of witnesses and final arguments from both sides. The court also ordered confiscation of properties of both convicts. They were also judged guilty of carrying unlicensed weapons at the time of their arrest and court handed down seven years imprisonment to them. Another seven years term was awarded to Umer for snatching the sub-machine gun of one of the slain policemen after the murder.

The court in its verdict observed that the prosecution witnesses deposed against the accused and one of the witnesses also rightly picked up the accused during an identification parade before a magistrate and their evidence remained unshakable.

All the witnesses were policemen apart from a magistrate but their evidence could not be disqualified to act as witnesses within the purview of Article 30 of Qanun-i-Shahadat unless it is found that they were bias or attempted to involve accused falsely and during the cross-examination no such suggestion was put to them, it added.

The court ruled that crime weapons were found in the custody of the accused as the forensic report confirmed that the spent bullet casings found from crime scene were fired from the recovered weapons while the snatched SMG was also recovered from cottage industrial areas on information later provided by the accused.

It maintained that the accused testified under oath, but not denied the aforesaid fact and it had become easier for court to ignore the contradictions pointed out by the defence counsel in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and were not found enough to shatter the case of prosecution.

However, there were glaring inconsistencies in the testimonies of defence witnesses and the caseof prosecution stood proved, the verdict concluded.

According to the prosecution, the police had signalled the accused riding a motorcycle to stop but they opened fire killing two policemen, wounding a passerby and also took an SMG away.

They were arrested around a week after the incident.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 392 (robbery), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempted murder), 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 at the Mochko police station.

The accused were also booked under Sections 13-D and 13-E of the Arms Ordinance.

The accused were in custody and after the pronouncement of the judgement, the court remanded them back to prison, but ruled that the capital punishment was subjected to the confirmation of high court.

Three `TTP men` remanded in police custody Another anti-terrorism court on Friday remanded three suspected militants in police custody in five cases.

The CID police produced the three suspects Umer Farooq, Syed Ayub and Humayun in court stating that they were arrested in Mauripur on Thursday after a shootout.

The public prosecutor, Abdul Maroof, informed the court that the suspects were affiliated with the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and an explosive-laden vehicle was seized from them.

They were planning to hit government installations and some prominent figures.

Judge Saleem Raza Baloch of the ATC-III remanded the suspects in police custody for questioning till Feb 28.

Five cases were registered against the suspects under Section 353 (criminal assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act and 23-A of the Sindh Arms Ordinance read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the CID police station.