GUJRANWALA: Jail authorities stopped on Wednesday the execution of seven condemned prisoners, involved in the lynching of two brothers of Sialkot, after the Supreme Court accepted their appeals against the decision of the Lahore High Court.

An anti-terrorism court had issued death warrants for Rashid Mehr, Muhammad Ameen, Sarfraz Ahmad, Iqbal, Jamil, Ali Raza and Muhammad Shafiq for April 8 after the Lahore High Court had rejected their appeals.

Read: 7 men to be hanged in Sialkot lynching case

Defence Counsel Zahid Bukhari filed their appeals in the Supreme Court which have been accepted for hearing.

They were convicted for lynching Mughees Butt and Muneeb Butt on August 15, 2010 in Sialkot.

Read: Seven sentenced to death for Sialkot lynching

The anti-terrorism court had also sentenced life term to Waris, Hassan, Qaiser, Tayyab, Asghar and Jamshed in the case.

SACKED: District Coordination Officer Azmat Mehmood dismissed from service on Wednesday Aroop town license and tax inspectors Waqas Haider and Usman Ahmad and declared their appointment bogus. He ordered the recovery of salaries they had received from since their appointment in 2009. Former license inspector Yousef Mughal had complained against their appointment to the Aroop town municipal administration.

PROTEST: Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Labour Union activists protested on Wednesday against the privatisation of distribution companies and announced that weekly protest would be held regularly.

Gujranwala Electric Power Company CBA union regional chairman Iqbal Dar and secretary Waliur Rehman said the privatisation being made at behest of International Monetary Fund was the economic assassination of employees. They warned that workers would not accept it at any cost. Akhlaq Cheema, Abdul Razaq and Mian Ataur Rehman also spoke.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2015

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