SC ‘temporarily halts’ execution of murder convict

Ghulam Shabir was scheduled to be executed in Multan Central Jail on Tuesday

ISLAMABAD: In a surprise development, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed the execution of a murder suspect, just a day before he was scheduled to go to the gallows.

Ghulam Shabir was scheduled to be hanged at Multan Central Jail on Tuesday as punishment for a murder conviction.

Dil Muhammad Zai, the counsel for Shabir, approached the apex court against his execution order, claiming that six out of the ten heirs of the deceased have pardoned his client and requested that the SC release him after accepting the partial compromise deal.



A two-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam decided to adjudicate on the question that whether a convict could be released on the basis of 'partial compromise'.

The bench also issued a notice to the Punjab prosecutor general and adjourned the hearing for ten days.

Later, the counsel for the convict told The Express Tribune that the order has been faxed to jail authorities, adding that the SC registrar's office conveyed the order in his presence.

In April 2015, the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench had granted a stay of execution to a murder convict after the heirs of his victim pardoned him. Mirza Sarfraz, convicted of murdering Tahir in Gujar Khan, was sentenced to death by a sessions court and was scheduled to be hanged in Adiala Jail on April 21 after his mercy petition was rejected by the court.