Pakistan sentences two facilitators of attack on Chinese nationals near Karachi airport — Dawn
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi, Pakistan, has convicted bank employee Bilal and trader Saeed Ali for facilitating an attack on a convoy carrying Chinese nationals near the city’s airport in October 2024. Bilal was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Saeed Ali received seven years.
Purchase of the vehicle
As Dawn reports, the court found both men guilty of facilitating the purchase of a vehicle that was later used in the explosion. According to the prosecution, the car was bought from a dealership for 7.1 million Pakistani rupees, and the convicted men facilitated the transaction and the arrangement of financing through a private bank in Hub, Balochistan province.
After its purchase, the vehicle was fitted with explosives and used to attack the Chinese convoy. The attack killed two foreigners and one Pakistani citizen.
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Prison terms
The case was heard by an ATC-V judge at the court complex attached to Karachi Central Prison. Bilal was sentenced to 10 years and three years in prison on different counts, while Saeed Ali received seven and two years. The court ruled that all sentences would be served concurrently.
During the hearings, both convicts denied the charges. Saeed Ali said he had no links to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army or other similar organizations. Bilal claimed that he was performing his work at the bank, did not know the purpose of the suicide operation, and was implicated in the case because he had studied at the same university as the suicide bomber.
The Counter Terrorism Department registered the case under provisions of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 concerning support for banned organizations, the collection or use of funds for terrorism, and aiding and abetting.
