Journalist sent behind bars for five years in religious hatred case.

Byline: Naeem Sahoutara

KARACHI -- An antiterrorism court has awarded five-year imprisonment to journalist Nasrullah Chaudhry in a case pertaining to possessing literature against the state and spreading religious hatred.

Mr Chaudhry, a journalist associated with Urdu-language daily Nai Baat, was found guilty of committing offences punishable under Section 11-F (i) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 (a person is guilty of an offence if he belongs, or professes to belong, to a proscribed organisation), Section 11-W(i) (printing, publishing or disseminating any material to incite hatred or giving projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act or any proscribed organisation or an organisation placed under observation or anyone concerned in terrorism) and Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism).

The ATC-VI judge, who conducted trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides on Dec 21.

The judge awarded him five-year imprisonment and Rs10,000 fine under Section 11-W(i) with the direction to serve one month imprisonment on default.

He was also sentenced to six-month imprisonment and Rs5,000 fine under Section 11-F(i) with the direction to serve 15 days imprisonment on default.

The court cancelled his bail and sent him to the prison to serve out his sentences. However, all the sentences will run concurrently.

He was extended the benefit of Section 382-B that means the period spent in detention will be deducted from the sentence.

According to a charge sheet filed by the CTD, Nasrullah Khan Chaudhry was arrested in Karachi's Garden area on Nov 11, 2018 on the allegations of carrying some journals and booklets about Afghan Jihad and the Punjabi Taliban which contained material intended to sow discord on sectarian grounds as well as to motivate people to take part in 'Jihad'.

The charge sheet repeatedly cited the name of Khalid Mukshi, alleging that he was a leader of Al Qaeda and that the detained journalist had links with him. However, the IO did not name Mukshi as an accused or absconder in the charge sheet.

In his statement, under the Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Nasrullah Chaudhry denied the allegations and claimed that the three prosecution witnesses...