Non-compoundable: Plea against death sentence dismissed

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court chief justice dismissed a petition on Wednesday seeking directions to stop a trial court from issuing black warrants against Zahid Hussain, a prisoner on death row. Hussain’s counsel said he had been awarded death sentence in a murder case. He said he had reached a settlement with the heirs of deceased, therefore, the trial court (an anti-terrorism court) should be stopped from issuing black warrants against Hussain. A law officer told the court that the trial court had handed down capital punishment under provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act which were non-compoundable. So the trial court could not be stopped from issuing black warrants. CJ Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmed then dismissed the petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2014.