Quantum of punishment to JeM members to be pronounced in July

Lucknow: The final arguments on the quantum of sentence to be given to the three Pakistan nationals will be concluded in the Lucknow district court on July 14. The quantum may be pronounced the same day.

The court has held them guilty on Thursday. The Pak nationals involved are Mirza Rashid Beg, Saifur Rehman and Mohammad Abid alias Fatte. All these were members of a suicide squad of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

The convicts were arrested from Lucknow, in 2007, with A-K rifles, hand grenades and RDX and were lodged in Lucknow district jail since their arrest.

The case:

• The police charge -sheet had alleged that the three convicts had entered India with a plan to kidnap a leading politician.
• “Their plan was to abduct a leading politician so they could force the government to release key JeM militants from Indian jails.”
• The government Counsel, Mithlesh Kumar Singh stated that the verdict was given by special judge Om Prakash Mishra. “The charges of sedition, waging war against government of India, attempt to murder, unlawful activities, conspiracy and Foreigners’ Act were held against them,” said Singh.

Backgrounder:

• The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force had arrested Mirza Rashid Beg of Gujrawala, Saifur Rehman of Multan and Mohammad Abid alias Fatte of Lahore, all based in Pakistan, on November 16, 2007, after a brief encounter in Lucknow’s Gudamba area.

• Although the police charge-sheet did not reveal the name of the politician they planned to target, it stated that the accused had nefarious designs and if they would have succeeded, it would have caused disaster.
• They accused were trained to kidnap, hold hostage and create disturbance in the country.