High Court cuts sentence of man convicted of shooting at police

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has reduced the sentence of a man convicted of shooting at the police from 10 years rigorous imprisonment to 18 months, a sentence he has already undergone.

The judge said the fact that police had failed to recover empty bullet shells from the scene of the crime and that no one had been hurt was enough to lessen the man’s sentence. The original fine given to Nawazish Ali, Rs 10,000 or three months in prison if he couldn’t pay, was reduced to Rs 5,000 or one month in prison.

The court, however, did not deem the convict’s case as fit for total acquittal. Mr Ali was found guilty of shooting at the police by an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala on July 8, 2002.

According to the first information report registered against him, whose complainant was Sargodha Sub Inspector Arif Javed, Mr Ali shot at policemen in the village of Nooryana, which is in the jurisdiction of Gojra Mandi Bahauddin police station. They had come to arrest Mr Ali in a separate case.

A man named Allah Yar allegedly informed Mr Ali that the police had come to arrest him. Mr Ali, a man named Ashraf and 10 others then allegedly began firing at the policemen with a Klashnikov, a 12-bore gun and other weapons.

In support of his acquittal appeal, Mr Ali’s lawyer Arshad Hussain said no policeman was injured and no bullet shells had been found at the scene of the crime. He submitted his client had been falsely accused.

State counsel Javed Iqbal said there was no background of enmity between Mr Ali and the policemen so there was no reason for them to falsely accuse him of anything.

The judge said Mr Ali appeared to have mildly resisted arrest, so he should not be totally acquitted, but there was not enough evidence to keep him in prison for 10 years.

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