An Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi on Saturday handed down the kidnapping for ransom punishment of life imprisonment to five men in a case registered at the R A Bazaar police station in 2024. ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah also ordered forfeiture of the convicts’ properties under Section 2(paa) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 — the special law used against terrorism-related offences — and directed each man to pay Rs1 million to the abducted victim under Section 544-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure for the mental trauma of his captivity.
If that compensation is not paid, the court said, each convict faces an extra two years of simple imprisonment. The sum may also be recovered as arrears of land revenue, meaning the state can collect it through the same channels used for unpaid land taxes.
Who was convicted and what the court ordered
The men named in the verdict were Saeed Ahmad of Diyola, Pindi Ghaib tehsil in Attock, living on Harley Street, Rawalpindi; Shahzad Yousaf of Koley Chona Kari, Abbottabad; Sarfraz Khan of Hub Chowki, Lasbela, Balochistan; Farooq Ahmad of Wadh, Khuzdar, Balochistan; and Ubaid Ullah of Hub, Khuzdar, Balochistan. Alongside kidnapping life imprisonment, the property forfeiture and compensation orders form the core of the judgment.
How the Rawalpindi abduction unfolded
According to the case record, 55-year-old Qasim Ishaq was taken outside a mosque on Harley Street, within R A Bazaar police limits, on 8 May 2024 at about 7pm after Maghrib prayers. His son told police that a black Toyota Corolla GLi with a green registration plate stopped as his father left the mosque, and two men forced him into the car before driving away.
Police first registered an abduction case. Charges were later widened to kidnapping for ransom after the abductors allegedly demanded money. Case details say the family paid more than Rs10 million before the victim was freed. Officers later arrested the accused and recovered both the abducted man and the ransom money from their custody.
Retrial after the high court remand
Advocate Basharat Ullah Khan, who appeared for the complainant, said the ATC held a retrial after the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench remanded the matter for fresh proceedings. The convicts had challenged an earlier conviction; the high court ordered the case heard again. Saturday’s life terms and compensation orders are the outcome of that fresh trial.
The kidnapping for ransom punishment applied here — life in prison, property forfeiture, and heavy compensation — underlines how seriously courts treat ransom abductions when they are tried under anti-terrorism law. Families still face long investigations and appeals; this verdict closes one chapter of a case that began on Harley Street in May 2024.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 8 May 2024: Qasim Ishaq is abducted outside a Harley Street mosque after Maghrib prayers; a black Toyota Corolla GLi is alleged to have been used.
- 2024: Police register the case at R A Bazaar station; charges expand to kidnapping for ransom after a money demand; the family pays more than Rs10 million, and police later recover the victim and the ransom.
- After the high court order: The Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench remands the matter; the ATC conducts a retrial.
- Saturday: Judge Amjad Ali Shah sentences the five men to life, orders property forfeiture, and sets Rs1 million compensation each, with two extra years’ simple imprisonment if unpaid.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Rawalpindi ki ATC ne paanch logo ko aghwa baraye tawan ke case mein umar qaid ki saza di hai. Court ne har mulzim se peedit ko 10 lakh rupay muawza bhi dilwaya hai. Yeh faisla May 2024 ke Harley Street wale aghwa se judta hai, jisme family ne 1 crore se zyada tawan diya tha. Aam logon ke liye yeh batata hai ke aisi crime par sakht saza aur muawza dono ho sakte hain.
