Three accused in Johar Town blast sentenced to death

A special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday sentenced three convicts in the Johar Town blast case to death nine times each after finding them guilty.

The court also ordered confiscation of the properties of the three criminals.

ATC Administrator Judge Abhar Gul Khan heard the case on Tuesday.

The hearing was conducted via a video link amid security concerns.

After the conclusion of arguments of the witnesses and the lawyers, the court pronounced the verdict in the case.

Also Read: Johar Town blast: CTD told to expedite filing of charge sheet

Those sentenced to death were Samiul Haq, Aziz Akbar and Naveed Akhtar.

A case had been registered against them with the Johar Town police station in Lahore.

CTD Inspector Khalid Akbar submitted a challan against the convicts.

It is pertinent to note that four accused had already been sentenced to death nine times in this case.

India behind JT blast: Interior minister

In December last year, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the possible target of Lahore’s Johar Town vehicle-borne improvised explosive device blast in June was Lashkar-e-Tayyaba chief Hafiz Saeed, adding that the mastermind of the blast was an agent of Indian spy agency RAW.

The minister had said India was involved in directly fanning terrorism in Pakistan, while announcing to raise the matter with the United Nations (UN).

How suspects were arrested

Interior Minister Sanaullah claimed the prime suspect Samiul Haq was arrested from Balochistan, and during investigation, authorities learned that he was an agent of RAW since 2012.

Timeline and investigation

Lahore’s Johar Town blast occurred on June 23, 2021. A vehicle loaded with explosives could not get through Hafiz Saeed’s residence due to tight security, and was left parked at a close location.