The Court noted that the appeal for review was presented 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 murder of police personnel.
A trial court convicted Ahmed of murdering two police officers and a duty officer in Lahore and sentenced him to death. The Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the verdict.
The convicted man appealed the order to the Supreme Court which commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. Ahmed later filed a review petition against that order.
In a written judgment delivered by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, the court observed that attacks on law enforcement personnel fall under the category of terrorism. He also stated that attacking government officials constitutes a direct attack on the power of the State and the justice system.
The court noted that the appeal for review was presented after an extraordinary delay of 1,598 days. He submitted that the petitioner did not provide any reasonable justification for such a long delay.
The ruling further stated that the charges against the convicted man (killing two police officers and one officer while on duty) had been proven.
The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 is a comprehensive legislative framework enacted by the Parliament of Pakistan to prevent terrorism and sectarian violence and ensure speedy trial of heinous crimes across the country.
