KARACHI, 1 September — The Sindh High Court quashed the death sentence awarded to two of the activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which an anti-terrorist court had awarded for treason, officials here said. The court, comprising judges S.A. Rabbani, and Faiz Muhammad Qureshi also rejected a state appeal against the acquittal of five other MQM activists.

The judges had reserved the judgment on Aug. 23, after hearing appeals from Shafiq and Abdul Jabbar alias Zafar.

They were arrested on Sept. 10 last year, from a congested locality of Gulistan-e-Jauhar by the Karachi police and charged with working for India’s secret service agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Police had recovered 30 kilograms of explosive material, 10 detonators, 10 fuses, a Kalashnikov rifle and a TT pistol. The two later led the police investigators to their accomplices Haji Dongar, Hashim, Jumman, Swaleh Muhammad and Marau from Thatta.