Death warrant issued for schizophrenia prisoner Imdad Ali

The 'mentally-challenged' patient is set to be executed on Nov 2

ISLAMABAD: On request of the Punjab government, Vehari sessions court issued on Wednesday death warrant for schizophrenia prisoner Imdad Ali.

The development comes days after Supreme Court ruled schizophrenia did not fall within its legal definition of mental disorders, clearing the way for the execution. Ali is set to be executed on November 2, 2016.

However, the Ministry of Human Rights in a letter has advised the interior ministry to halt the execution on humanitarian grounds.

The apex court had given its verdict on the Imdad Ali case on October 20, saying: “In our opinion, rules relating to mental sickness are not subjugative to delay the execution of death sentence which has been awarded to the convict.”



Safia Bano, wife of the convict, had approached the Supreme Court, claiming her husband was insane and the execution of death sentence may be delayed till he gets medical treatment so that he could write down his will.

Ali, from Burewala district of southern Punjab, was awarded death sentence in 2002 in a murder case. His sentence was upheld by all superior courts, including the Supreme Court. The president has also rejected his mercy petition.



However, when black warrants were issued for his execution on July 26, his wife filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court Multan bench to delay her husband’s hanging till the recovery of his mental illness. The high court rejected her plea on August 23.

She then approached the apex court with the same plea. A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali upheld the decision of the high court in a short order on September 27.