Pakistani soldier sentenced to death for killing unarmed young man

Pakistani soldier sentenced to death for killing unarmed young man

2011-08-13 01:03:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

KARACHI (BNO NEWS) -- A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Friday sentenced to death a soldier who shot dead an unarmed teenager in the southern city of Karachi in early June, the Express Tribune reported.

The court also handed out life sentences to six others convicted of participating in the killing of Sarfaraz Shah, who was shot at point blank range in the Benazir Bhutto park in an incident that was caught on videotape and broadcast on television. Footage of the incident, filmed by an Awaaz TV cameraman, was broadcast repeatedly on local television stations.

The video shows a Ranger dragging the boy, then throwing him towards half a dozen armed comrades, one of whom then shot the youth twice as he begged for his life. The five Rangers were subsequently arrested.

Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso said Shahid Zafar, the Ranger who shot the youth, will be hanged. The other five accused personnel and Asfar Khan, a civilian who had accused Shah of robbery and dragged him over to them, have been given life imprisonment.

The judge also ordered each to pay Rs100,000 ($1,157) to the victim's family.

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