Peshawar Court Sentences Five, Including Juvenile, in Terror Financing Case

PESHAWAR: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Peshawar has convicted five individuals, including a juvenile, on multiple counts of terrorism and terror financing, sentencing each to five years of rigorous imprisonment alongside a hefty fine of Rs11 million.

Presiding Judge Wali Mohammad Khan ruled that the prosecution successfully established its case against the accused, identified as Rifaqullah, Kamran Faraz, Usman Ali, Mubashir Ghani, and the unnamed juvenile. The court, acting as a juvenile tribunal for the underage suspect, ordered that all prison terms run concurrently. The convicts were charged under various provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), including Section 11-F (membership of a proscribed organization) and Section 11-N (punishment for terror funding), as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Arms Act.

The case stems from a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Mohmand district on November 11, 2024. In addition to the convictions, the court declared five absconding suspects—Mehmood Shah, Qari Ehtesham, Bilal, Abdul Kabeer Khan, and Murad—as proclaimed offenders, issuing perpetual warrants for their arrest. This ruling underscores Pakistan’s ongoing judicial and law enforcement crackdown against banned outfits and illicit financial networks operating within the northwestern province.

Local authorities and the CTD have initiated coordinated raids to apprehend the remaining fugitives. Legal experts note that the swift trial and substantial financial penalties reflect the state’s heightened compliance with international counter-terrorism financing standards, signaling a zero-tolerance policy toward militant facilitation in the region.