No mercy: SHC dismisses plea to suspend black warrants of juvenile convict

Shafqat's lawyers have reached Islamabad to speak to interior minister and present proof of his age.


Our Correspondent March 17, 2015
PHOTO: EXPRESS

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed a petition seeking the suspension of black warrants issued for the execution of the death convict, Shafqat Hussain, on the basis of his juvenility.

His lawyers, Marium Haq and Saman Imtiaz, argued that the condemned prisoner was juvenile at the time he committed the offence but this aspect was not taken into consideration by the anti-terrorism court as well as the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court, which had later dismissed his appeals.

"We have heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and scanned the material available on record, which reflects that the condemned prisoner, Shafqat Hussain, was convicted by the Anti-Terrorism Court-III at Karachi, vide judgment dated November 1, 2004, which was impugned through Special Anti-Terrorism Appeal before this court," the two judges observed.

They added that the SHC had, however, turned down the same in terms of the judgment, dated May 15, 2006, through which capital punishment and the conviction were upheld.

Subsequently, the matter went to the Supreme Court, which had also maintained the judgment of the SHC on October 8, 2007. The apex court had also dismissed his review application.

One last try

Meanwhile, Shafqat's lawyers reached Islamabad on Tuesday to meet interior minister Chaudhry Nisar, who had announced earlier in the day that his execution will not be stayed. The spokesperson for the Justice Project Pakistan, Shahab Siddiqi, said they were in the capital to meet Chaudhry Nisar. "We want to meet him and provide evidence that can prove that Shafqat was underage when he was awarded the death penalty."

According his brothers, Shafqat is very upset. "He met Afzal and Faisal in the morning before they were hung. And he has been crying continuously thinking about his own hanging."

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2015.

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