Noose, life terms for Rangers who shot youth

Islamabad: An anti-terrorism court yesterday sentenced a paramilitary soldier to death and handed down life imprisonment to six others accused in the execution-style killing of an unarmed youth in a Karachi public park around two months ago that triggered a national outcry.

Shahid Zafar who had shot 18-year-old Sarfaraz Shah from point-blank range in a public park was convicted of murder and ordered to be hanged till death, according to the verdict announced by the court in Karachi, biggest city in the country that has been racked by sectarian violence in recent times.

In addition to the capital punishment, the paramilitary soldier found guilty of manslaughter was also ordered to pay a fine of 200,000 rupees (Dh8,393).

Those given life imprisonment include five Rangers personnel and a civilian employee of the Benazir Park, named after assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The convicts have the right of appeal in a superior court and the defence said it would exercise the option.

National outrage

When judge Bashir Ahmad Khoso announced the judgment in the presence of close relatives of the slain youth and others, shouts hailing the verdict as "justice done" rang out in the courtroom, reports said.

The June 8 killing of the youth was filmed by a television cameraman and shown by various channels, leading to the arrest of the accused and their trial on charges under the anti-terrorism laws.

The footage of the incident, filmed by domestic Awaaz TV cameraman, was broadcast repeatedly by local television stations.

In it, a Rangers official can be seen dragging the boy, then throwing him towards half a dozen armed comrades, one of whom then shot the 18-year-old twice as he begged for his life.

The five Rangers' troopers and the park employee were subsequently arrested and the government, facing an uproar in the wake of the shocking incident, replaced the director-general of the paramilitary force in southern province of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital.

The Supreme Court, following up on the incident of its own accord, directed the trial court to complete the proceedings expeditiously.

Defence argument

The anti-terrorism court had heard final arguments by the defence counsel and concluding arguments by the special public prosecutor on Tuesday and reserved its judgment.

The defence had contended that the incident was an "accident" and not a planned murder and pleaded that the accused were wrongly charged with terrorism.

Prosecution submission

The prosecution submitted that independent witnesses from the state television had termed the footage of the incident "original".

Speaking to media representatives outside the court, the slain youth's father, mother and brother expressed satisfaction over the judgment. The mother told a television channel she was happy but complete justice would be served when the death penalty would be carried out.

"God listened to our prayers; we spent the last two months crying," the father said.

Full force of the law