To the gallows: Fresh black warrant sought for Shafqat Hussain

The government has so far given no response regarding reinvestigating the case

KARACHI:

The Karachi Central Jail authorities on Wednesday approached an anti-terrorism court, seeking a fresh black warrant for condemned prisoner Shafqat Hussain. The court is likely to issue the warrant today (Thursday).

Hussain, then 14 years old, was sentenced to death in 2004 on charges of killing seven-year-old Umair, the son of a car dealer, in New Town. According to the prosecution, Hussain was a watchman at the apartment building where the deceased boy lived. He kidnapped Umair, demanding ransom from his family, and later killed him. The police said that Hussain was nabbed because he had asked Umair's family to place the ransom money near a trunk that belonged to him.

The court had earlier issued a death warrant for Hussain, now 25, giving January 14 as his execution date. The order became ineffective because the government halted his execution owing to concerns over him being a juvenile at the time of sentencing.

The government has so far given no response regarding reinvestigation into the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2015.