ATC awards two-year jail term in Nankana Sahib incident

KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore awarded two-year imprisonment to a suspect in the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib incident case.

The ATC judge announced a two-year jail term to Imran Chisti and also imposed a fine of Rs10,000 Another accused Salman was handed six-month imprisonment to another suspect in the case. The court acquitted five others due to insufficient evidence against them.

Last year in January, police had arrested the prime suspect in the incident. The suspect attempted to convert his personal dispute into religious conflict and indulged in hate speeches to mobilize protests who pelted stones at a Sikh holy place in Nankana Sahib.

The suspect also posted his hate speeches on social media, the police said. The incident had garner controversy and even  Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident.

The altercation happened over a minor dispute at a tea stall which threatened to turn into a greater conflict. The district administration immediately intervened and arrested the accused.

The Foreign Office had maintained that the Gurdwara remains untouched and undamaged. All insinuations to contrary, particularly claims of acts of “desecration and destruction” and desecration of the holy place, are false and mischievous, the statement stated.