Police get physical remand of senior journalist

Ayaz Amir denies any hand in murder of daughter-in-law

ISLAMABAD:

An Islamabad court on Sunday approved a one-day physical remand of senior journalist Ayaz Amir in the murder case of his daughter-in-law, Sara Bibi, who was allegedly killed by his son Shahnawaz Amir.

On Saturday night, the capital police arrested senior journalist Ayaz Amir in the murder case of his daughter-in-law Sara Bibi, who was murdered in Islamabad's Chak Shehzad suburbs on Friday.

On Friday, the police arrested the journalist’s son Shahnawaz Amir for allegedly killing his 37-year-old wife a day after she arrived from Dubai.

On Sunday, police produced Ayaz Amir and his son Shahnawaz Amir, the prime suspect in the murder case, before judge Zahid Tirmizi.

Investigating Officer Habibur Rahman, DSP Hakim Khan and the accused's lawyer advocate Nisar Asghar also appeared before the court.

During the hearing, Ayaz Amir pleaded that he himself informed the police about the incident and gave them the address of the house, where the murder took place.

The counsel for the accused said that his client’s name was not in the FIR and there was no solid evidence against him that he was also involved in the murder.

During the hearing, Ayaz Amir expressed his disappointment stating that he had been arrested even though he had provided information to the police (SHO). He said that his son Shahnawaz was a suspect and he had no sympathy for him.

Police said that Ayaz Amir, the father of the main suspect, was wanted by the police for investigation in the high-profile case as he (Ayaz Amir) reported the matter to the police first.

The police requested the court to grant a four-day physical remand of Ayaz Amir, however, the court allowed a one-day physical remand of the senior journalist. Shahnawaz Amir, the main suspect, is already in police custody on physical remand.

According to sources, Sara and Shahnawaz had an altercation over a domestic issue on Thursday night which led to her death as the accused allegedly had hit her in the head with an iron dumbbell.

After killing his wife, the accused allegedly put her body in a bathtub.

The police arrested the accused and took him to Shahzad Town Police Station for further investigation.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2022.