Five Pakistan vy men get death sentence over terrorism charges

Islamabad, May 24: At least five vy officers were given death sentence by a Pakistani vy court for planning to hijack a warship and attack one of the US vy’s refuel ships in 2014. Sub-Lieutent Hammad Ahmed and four other officials were convicted of the val dockyard attack that took place on September 6, 2014, Dawn online quoted retired Major Saeed Ahmed, father of Ahmed, as saying. They were charged with having links with the Islamic State group, mutiny, hatching a conspiracy and carrying weapons to the Karachi dockyard, Saeed said. Saeed claimed that the val authorities did not provide his son the right to a fair trial.

“I wrote a letter to the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the vy on August 15, 2015, asking him to provide the opportunity of a defence counsel to my son,” Saeed said.

“The vy JAG on September 21 replied that the option of defence counsel would be available at the time of trial.”

Saeed was waiting for the commencement of the trial but was recently informed that his son was shifted to the Karachi Central Prison. He came to know about the capital punishment when he met his son and the other four officials — Irfanullah, Muhammad Hammad, Arsalan zeer and Hashim seer — in the prison. There was no official word by the Pakistan vy, he said. “My son told me that a val court had awarded death pelty to them after a secret trial,” Saeed claimed. He claimed that the five were made scapegoats as this was not the first time when such security lapses came to light. (IANS)