New Delhi, January 18
Two Pakistani militants, belonging to the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, were today sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment by a city court along with their three Indian accomplices for masterminding the 1997 serial blasts in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and UP, resulting in the death of 17 persons. The trail of blasts had left over 300 persons seriously injured.

Finding LeT terrorists Aijaz Mohammed and Mohammed Hussain guilty of hatching a conspiracy to wage war against India with the help of their three Indian accomplices — Amir Khan, Mohammed Shakeel and Abdul Baqi — Additional Sessions Judge Rajiv Mehra awarded them the jail term of 10 years. They were also found guilty under the Arms and Explosive Act

Two other co-accused, Mohammed Umar Ali and Mohammed Abdul Qasim were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment, for helping the five main accused in providing them logistic support.

“The nature of the blasts, which was identical, confirmed that they were planned by the same group, which had acted in pursuance of a common intention” to cause mass destruction and loss of human lives under a well thought of conspiracy, the Judge, who held the trial in tight security of Tihar Jail, observed.

The court also imposed a fine ranging between Rs 5,000 and 20,000 on them depending upon their role in the crime.

The 37 bomb blasts were triggered by them in Delhi, Panipat, Sonepat, Ludhiana, Kanpur and Varanasi during 1997, causing death of 17 persons and injuries to over 300, according to the investigating agencies and the prosecution.

All of them were arrested by the Delhi police from their hideouts in the Sadar Bazar area of the walled city on February 27, 1998, a few months after the blasts with a huge cache of chemicals used for making bombs and Indian and US currency notes.

The court, which had passed the judgement on their conviction in the case yesterday, pronounced the punishment today after hearing arguments of prosecution and their counsel in the quantum of the sentence.

Eight of other co-accused were convicted in 2003 at the time of framing of charges after they had pleaded guilty of helping the Pakistani militants in their nefarious designs. Five others were discharged at the charge framing stage.

The investigating agencies had failed to nab ISI agent Abdul Karim, alias “Tunda”, who was suspected to be the mastermind and kingpin behind the entire operation.

According to the probe agencies, his area of operation for Pakistani intelligence service, were Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.