POTA: 5 Jaish men sent to life in prison

The five were arrested by the Delhi Police on August 31,2003 from Delhi and Secunderabad,UP. Tantray,Parvaiz and Feroz are from Kashmir,while Raees and Atiq belong to Secunderabad.

The prosecution’s case was that call details of Tantray showed he was in touch with Pakistani national Shahid and the Jaish office in Pakistan. Raees and Atiq visited Pakistan legally,but their return was not mentioned on their passport,and that they received training there.

“Pakistan’s imprint is writ large on the evidence adduced against the five convicts. Each of them has revealed his connections with the terrorist elements rooted in that country,” the judge said. “These foot soldiers of forces inimical to India have to be neutralised… de-fanged and blunted.”

Soon after Tantray’s arrest,the police had raided the Millennium Park and killed Jaish militants Habibullah and Zahoor. Habibullah’s brothers,Raees and Atiq,were later arrested from Secunderabad.

Defence counsel M S Khan sought leniency,saying the convicts had faced trial for over seven years,but the court refused. “The accused conspired… to wage war against India. Against the backdrop of these acts,any talk of mercy would be misplaced,” it said.