Saifullah Sani
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A Pakistani anti-terror court on Saturday sentenced a man to death and his accomplice to life imprisonment in the first convictions for an attack on the persecuted Ahmadi religious minority that left 82 dead.
In May 2010, gun and suicide attackers stormed into two Ahmadi prayer halls in the city of Lahore, slaughtering dozens of worshippers.
Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims by the Pakistani government in 1974. They are frequent victims of discrimination and violent assaults, but it is rare for militants to be convicted for attacks against them.
"Accused Muaviya (who uses one name), 27, has been given the death sentence on seven counts of murder and terrorism for the attack on the Ahmadi places of worship," prosecutor Rai Asif Mehmood told AFP.
The court gave life imprisonment to Muaviya's co-accused Abdullah, 21, on nine counts of terrorism and use of explosives, Mehmood said.
The men were fined three million rupees ($30,000) each, Mehmood added.
A second prosecution official confirmed the sentences.
The pair's defence lawyer Rana Arif told AFP that his clients could appeal against the verdicts.
The attacks sparked more than two hours of gun battles with police and commandos. Muaviya and Abdullah were detained at the scene and two other suspects remain at large, according to officials.
Gunmen later attacked the hospital where victims were being treated, killing another 12 people.
Founded by Ghulam Ahmad, who was born in 1838, the Ahmadi sect believes that Ahmad himself was a prophet and that Jesus died aged 120 in Srinagar, capital of Indian-ruled Kashmir.
Pakistan death sentence for bloody attack on Ahmadi minority | Daily Mail Online
In May 2010, gun and suicide attackers stormed into two Ahmadi prayer halls in the city of Lahore, slaughtering dozens of worshippers.
Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims by the Pakistani government in 1974. They are frequent victims of discrimination and violent assaults, but it is rare for militants to be convicted for attacks against them.
"Accused Muaviya (who uses one name), 27, has been given the death sentence on seven counts of murder and terrorism for the attack on the Ahmadi places of worship," prosecutor Rai Asif Mehmood told AFP.
The court gave life imprisonment to Muaviya's co-accused Abdullah, 21, on nine counts of terrorism and use of explosives, Mehmood said.
The men were fined three million rupees ($30,000) each, Mehmood added.
A second prosecution official confirmed the sentences.
The pair's defence lawyer Rana Arif told AFP that his clients could appeal against the verdicts.
The attacks sparked more than two hours of gun battles with police and commandos. Muaviya and Abdullah were detained at the scene and two other suspects remain at large, according to officials.
Gunmen later attacked the hospital where victims were being treated, killing another 12 people.
Founded by Ghulam Ahmad, who was born in 1838, the Ahmadi sect believes that Ahmad himself was a prophet and that Jesus died aged 120 in Srinagar, capital of Indian-ruled Kashmir.
Pakistan death sentence for bloody attack on Ahmadi minority | Daily Mail Online
