Nayab Umrani’s statement to be recorded through video link
The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) directed the Additional Advocate General (AAG) Balochistan to personally settle the financial affairs of Nayab Sikandar Umrani.
A three-member SC bench comprising of Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the case filed by Nayab Sikandar Umrani on Tuesday.
Nayab Umrani had filed a petition in July 2018 wherein she alleged that her entire family was murdered in a series of attacks in 2015 and on May 31, 2018 her elder sister Sanam Umrani who was a lawyer by profession and fighting her brothers' murder case was also killed by the same people.
During the course of the proceedings, Justice Umar Ata Bandial addressing Nayab said that her case was causing complications. He asked how many members of her family were killed. Nayab replied that her mother, sister, brother and sister-in-law had been killed by her stepbrothers.
Justice Sajjad said that the murder case was still pending in the lower courts, which was a problem adding that the apex court could not pass an order about a case which was under trial at the Jacobabad sessions court.
He said that she could go wherever she wanted to record a statement. The Supreme Court could order the Superintendent Police of the area concerned to provide protection, he added. Nayab replied that her sister was killed under police protection.
She said that she was the only surviving member of her family and if she visited Jacobabad she could also be murdered.
Justice Bandial said that the apex court could order the Registrar Sindh High Court to arrange video link facility to record her statement in Islamabad. The court directed the Registrar Sindh High Court and Registrar Islamabad High Court to submit a reply regarding the availability of a video link facility and adjourned the hearing of the case for one month.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2021.