Bench commutes death sentence to life term

The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court has commuted the death sentence of a convict who had murdered his own lawyer to life imprisonment.

A five-member appellant bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa took up the appeal of Taj Muhammad who was arrested in 2002 for killing his counsel.

After arguments, the bench partially accepted the appeal, noting that if the convict who has already been detained for over 22 years is not wanted in any other case then he may be released from prison.

While dictating the order for the case, Justice Isa reprimanded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) additional advocate general (AAG) for continuously speaking.

The AAG informed the court that the murdered lawyer was his classmate. CJ Isa expressed displeasure at this statement, questioning the relevance of mentioning a personal connection.

"What are we to do with the fact that the murdered lawyer was your friend?" He further inquired, "Why did you mention that the murdered lawyer was your friend in court? Are you trying to influence the court? It is unnecessary to say that the murdered person was your friend."

Addressing the AAG, he said, "The important question is why a client would kill his own lawyer."

The government lawyer responded that the accused was a habitual criminal and had killed his lawyer over a monetary dispute.

The Shariat Appellate Bench is hearing appeals after a lapse of four years.