The Khushab security guard who murdered a National Bank manager after accusing him of blasphemy has been sentenced to death. Sargodha Anti-Terrorism Court Special Judge Khawar Rashid sentenced Ahmed Nawaz to death in the verdict on Wednesday.
Back on November 5, security guard Ahmed Nawaz had shot and killed a manager of a bank in Khushab’s Quaidabad tehsil, Malik Imran Hanif. The incident was caught on CCTV footage. When facing murder charges, Nawaz levelled blasphemy allegations against Hanif. He had even claimed that Hanif was an Ahmadi.
After killing Malik, who was a Deobandi by sect, Nawaz then gathered a crowd of like-minded people and led them to the local police station to surrender. The crowd greeted him with slogans like, “we can accept death in the service of the Prophet,” and “behead those who insult Prophet.”
Qaidabad, Khushab, Punjab. #Barelvi security card killed a bank manager accusing him of blasphemy. Crowd greets him with slogans, "Behead those who insult the Prophet". pic.twitter.com/U81u6Pq5PW
— SAMRI (@SAMRIReports) November 4, 2020
The ATC ruled that the security guard killed the manager over personal animosity. Ahmed Nawaz has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death under Section 302-B and slapped with an Rs.500,000 fine.
The money from the fine will be provided as compensation to the manager’s legal heirs.
Aside from the death penalty, the security guard has also been handed two-year imprisonment under Section 353, for assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of their duty. As well as an additional fine of Rs.50,000.
Meanwhile, he has also been handed another death sentence under Section 7(A) of the Anti-Terrorism Act with Rs.500,000 fine. Under Section 7(h) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, he also received ten-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs.100,000.
While Ahmed Nawaz will immediately start serving his jail time, he will not be executed unless the verdict is confirmed by the high court
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