Sarfaraz Shah murder: SHC upholds death sentence for Rangers official

Court acquits Lance Naik Liaquat Ali, upholds others' sentences.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday announced its judgement on appeals filed against the conviction of Rangers personnel in the Sarfaraz Shah murder case, Express News reported on Tuesday.

The court had reserved its verdict in May last year.

The SHC acquitted Lance Naik Liaquat Ali while upheld earlier life imprisonment sentences for Sub-Inspector Bahur Rehman, constable Mohammad Tariq, constable Minthar Ali, constable Mohammad Afzal and private contractor Afsar Khan and death penalty for Rangers official Shahid Zafar. An anti-terrorism court on August 12, 2011 had handed down these sentences.

Shah was shot twice by the Rangers personnel and was left to die in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in Clifton on June 8, 2011.

Initially, the Rangers had claimed to have killed a robber in an encounter but their claim was refuted after a video footage, incidentally recorded by a private TV channel’s cameraman, was televised nationwide.

The victim’s family had decided to forgive all of them in the name of God.

Shaukat Hayat, the lawyer representing Zafar, had argued that his client had no intention to kill the youth, as visible in the video, but that he had accidentally fired the shot that resulted in Shah’s death.