SHC upholds verdict in cop murder case

The two men were convicted of murdering police constable in 2012

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court rejected on Wednesday the appeals filed by convicts found guilty of murdering a police official.

Announcing the verdict on the pleas, the bench, comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, remarked that the crime against the convicts had been proven and hence, they could not be released.

Junaidur Rehman and Muhammad Rashid were sentenced to life imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court after they were found guilty of opening fire on a police party and killing constable Shafiq in 2012. According to the police, illegal weapons were also found in Rehman and Rashid's possession.

Bail pleas rejected

The same bench also rejected the bail pleas of former Fishermen Cooperative Society chairperson Sultan Qamar Siddiqui and co-accused Riaz, booked in corruption and assets beyond means cases.

The accused's counsel said that Siddiqui and Riaz had been imprisoned for two years as the accountability court hearing the reference had been non-operational due to the judge's absence.

The National Accountability Bureau prosecutor, however, contended that a new judge had been appointed for the court and the witnesses' statements were now being recorded. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2020.