Karachi court hands death penalty to prime accused in anchor Mureed Abbas murder case

The court issues permanent arrest warrants for the absconding co-accused Adil Zaman

KARACHI:

An Additional District and Sessions Court on Thursday sentenced the prime accused, Atif Zaman, to death in the murder case of anchorperson Mureed Abbas and his friend Khizer Hayat, nearly seven years after the killings.

On July 09, 2019, Abbas and Hayat were gunned down in Defence Housing Authority Phase VI Bukhari Commercial Area in the jurisdiction of Darakshan Police Station over a money dispute.

The court also issued permanent arrest warrants for the absconding co-accused Adil Zaman. The prosecution said Adil fled after the Supreme Court rejected his bail petition, while the trial court had declared him a proclaimed offender.

Lawyer Jibran Nasir, who is also part of the legal team for Abbas, said in a post on X, "Alhamdulillah, after a 7-year trial before the learned ADJ-IV Khi South, accused Atif has been sentenced to death on both counts of murder for the killings of Hayat & Abbas".

"Also given a 7-year sentence in the illegal arms case for the murder weapon," he added.

Alhamdulillah, after a 7yr trial before Learned ADJ-IV Khi South, accused Atif Zaman, has been sentenced to death on both counts of murder for killings of Khizar Hayat & anchor Mureed Abbas. Also given 7yr sentence in the illegal arms case for the murder weapon.

— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) July 9, 2026

The case

The murder case, under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, has been registered on behalf of Abbas's wife, Sidra Abbas alias Zara Abbas, while another case has been registered against Atif under Section 325 [attempt to suicide] on behalf of the state.

Abbas and Hayat were in a dispute with Atif over money. At around 8pm on July 9, Abbas told his wife that Atif had called him over the phone and asked Abbas to come to his office to collect Rs5m of the debt he owed Abbas. Her husband then left for Atif's office at Bukhari Commercial.

Sidra then received a call at 8:35pm from the wife of another one of her husband's friends, Umar Rehan, saying that Rehan had told her that Atif opened fire on Abbas, leaving him critically injured. Sidra, accompanied by her father, rushed to Atif's office, where she found her husband covered in blood. She took him to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in an ambulance.

Read: TV anchorperson, friend gunned down in Karachi over 'money dispute'

While Sidra was at the hospital, she was informed that Atif had also killed Hayat outside the building by opening fire on him. The doctors told her that Abbas couldn't survive his injuries and had passed away.

The CCTV footage of the incident showed Atif, dressed in a T-shirt and pants, wearing a P-Cap, entering the building accompanied by a man in white clothes, identified as Atif's brother, Adil Zaman. Adil can be seen holding a weapon.

They first attempt to reach Atif's office on the second floor via the elevator, and then use the stairs as the lift was not working. Atif was then seen returning downstairs after a few seconds, accompanied by Adil.

The CCTV footage then shows Sidra stepping off the elevator with some men carrying injured Abbas. The police arrive at the scene at the same time.

According to police, panic ensued in the building when Atif shot Abbas, with people hurrying to exit the building. Atif shot Hayat outside the office. The police said Atif and his brother had fled the crime scene by the time they arrived.