PAKISTAN. DEATH PENALTY FOR SUNNI MILITANT

June 14, 2006: Mohammad Aslam, also known as Muawia, was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan after being found guilty of killing six Shia Muslims during an attack in 1995. He had pleaded not guilty.
He was a member of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba, a Sunni militant group.
Four others had been acquitted over the attack which took place when gunmen opened fire on a group of Shia Muslims in the town of Jhang.
One other person who had been accused in the case, Maulama Azam Tariq, was shot dead in October 2003 by suspected Shia militants.
Tariq was the head of the Sipah-e-Sahaba and also a member of parliament from Jhang. The trial was held in a prison amid heavy security. (Sources: BBC NEWS, 14/06/2006)