The Punjab government on Wednesday filed two petitions in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the release of five accused and seeking to enhance the life sentence of six others, awarded by an anti-terrorism court in connection with the violent murder of two brothers in Sialkot by a violent mob.
Punjab Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Samad filed the petitions on behalf of the government. He sought suspending the acquittal of accused Awais, Nadeem, Muhammad Akram, Shams and Muhammad Asghir, as well as converting the previously awarded life-term into a death sentence to Muhammad Waris, Hassan Raza, Qaiser, Jamshed, Ateeb and Asghir. He said the heinousness of the crime required a stronger punishment.
The petitioner said he had, prior to the trial, submitted ‘solid evidence’ of the accused accomplices’ involvement in publicly beating Mughees and Munib to death, and then hanging their bodies on a pole. However, he said the court had not given full judicial indulgence to the facts presented, and the accused could not get punishment comparable to the crime committed. The prosecution further said they had also presented before the trial audio and video proofs to establish that the individuals accused were responsible for the murder, however the court had not given due weight to the evidence.
The appellant requested the LHC to consider the facts submitted, and award due punishment to the accused.
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