https://arab.news/ycpyu
- Rehman was head of Organi Pilot Project which provided low-cost sanitation, housing and microfinance facilities to people
- She was shot while commuting from her office to her residence in Karachi in March 2013
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan gave its verdict in a high-profile assassination of a renowned urban planner and rights activist in Karachi on Friday, announcing long prison sentences for those who were found guilty after an eight-year trial.
Perween Rahman was killed on March 13, 2013, while she was traveling back to her residence from her workplace.
She was the head of the Orangi Pilot Project that sought to provide low-cost sanitation, housing and microfinance facilities to the residents of the country's densely populated southern seaside metropolis.
The court, which reserved its verdict in October, gave three accused, Ahmed Khan, Amjad Hussain and Ayaz Swati, prison sentences that extended 57 years.
Rahim Swati, another person charged with the crime, was awarded 50-year jail term while his son, Imran Swati, was given seven years and six months in prison.
According to Dawn newspaper, the court was told earlier this year that Rehman told an interview that some people were trying to illegally occupy the land belonging to her organization and identified Rahim Swati as a "land grabber and extortionist."
The interview was recorded about 15 months before she was gunned down.
Pakistan's Geo News reported the accused belonged to a political party who surveilled Rehman's movements for nearly two months before passing on the information to two Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants who pulled the trigger.