Pakistan

PM to take final decision on Saulat Mirza's execution: officials

Convicted prisoner Saulat Mirza is due to be hanged tomorrow (May 12) morning at 4am in Mach Jail

Web Desk/zahid Gishkori May 11, 2015

screengrab of saulat mirza 039 s video message

Screengrab of Saulat Mirza's video message.

KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be taking the final decision on the execution of convicted prisoner Saulat Mirza, who is due to be hanged on Tuesday (tomorrow) morning.

Senior officials of the interior ministry dealing with this case said on Monday that they had not received any instructions to postpone Saulat Mirza’s hanging.

Read: SHC rejects plea seeking delay in Saulat Mirza's execution

“It is up to the PM to decide whether to extend his [Mirza’s] execution,” a senior interior ministry official told The Express Tribune.

“The latest I have on this issue is that he will be hanged at 4am tomorrow [May 12]. However, anything can happen if the agencies want to further investigate him.”

Read: Execution deferment: Saulat Mirza makes second plea

The official who preferred not to be named, added that the ministry “had not received any request from any quarter — Rangers Sindh, intelligence agencies or police — to put off Saulat’s execution.”

Authorities at Mach Jail had already finalised procedure to hang Saulat Mirza, he stated.

Read: JIT records Saulat Mirza's statement at Mach Jail

Final meeting with family

Meanwhile, Mirza’s family members who met him for the last time before his execution on May 12, while talking to Express News off-the-record said a ‘good news’ is expected in the next few hours.

“Chances are that a summary may be moved from Islamabad and the Mirza’s execution will be postponed for another 90 day," a family member said.

Last week, Sindh High Court (SHC) rejected a plea, filed by Saulat Mirza’s wife, seeking the re-opening of Shahid Hamid’s case by putting off Saulat’s execution.

Read: ‘Not entertainable’: SC rejects Saulat Mirza’s review plea

President Mamnoon Hussain has previously deferred the hanging on advice of the PM. Following this development, the interior ministry formed a joint investigation team to probe the allegations levelled by Saulat Mirza in a video statement leaked to the media days before his hanging in March.

Read: Investigating claims: JIT notified to probe Saulat Mirza allegations

Mirza had made sensational disclosures about senior leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the video.

COMMENTS (9)

shaiq | 8 years ago | Reply Please stop hanging because he can good role against mqm

Aftab | 8 years ago | Reply He should released or atleast be postponed from execution. he revealed many valuable thing about MQM.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Nabeel | 8 years ago | Reply Saulat Mirza is a target killer who killed many innocents. He should get his due punishment. Just Think of those relatives of the victims who are still ssuffering from psychological disorders and mental Trauma.

Marvelmv@hotmail.com | 8 years ago | Reply Media is making a murderer as a hero and releases breaking news as if the hero is standing in great courage and confidence.

Tit for Tat | 8 years ago | Reply @Bewildered: Would you stick with your opinion if Shahid Hamid was your father? or if somebody kills your family member and later confess that he didnt do on purpose he was only doing his job. Will you spare his life? if you do and I pray you dont experience anything similar.

Atheist_Pakistani | 8 years ago | Reply when will the politicians who have robbed and killed countless people be brought to court?

Kokab | 8 years ago | Reply This man should have been hanged a long time ago. Jutice delayed is justice denied. Our justice System is SICK and totally corrupt.

Ibrar | 8 years ago | Reply I wish the PM orders further postponement of execution. His hanging would only encourage further recruitment of target killers. There is an impression that his hurried execution following his disclosure would mean that there has been some political Muk-Muka to let off his handlers. I appeal to the authorities that the case should be reinvestigated to include those Saulat Mirza has named. Is it true that People like Baber Ghauri of MQM is currently out of the country? And why? This ex-restaurant waiter(as described publically by one of ex MQM member) and currently a billionaire probably has a reason to be worried !

Bewildered | 8 years ago | Reply I have said this before, and would like repeat it again that Mirza is merely a pawn. Killing him wouldn't win us the war. Kill the King and Knights instead. Hanging him would be like willfully destroying main proof against the masterminds of the crimes he was ordered to commit. Keep him alive until he repays the debts of his crimes by providing testimony in courts against his masters.

Replying to X