‘Key witness’: SHC asked to stay Saulat Mirza’s execution orders again

Mirza's wife asks execution be stayed until Shahid Hamid's murder case is re-investigated

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Thursday notices to the home and prison authorities, the advocate-general and the prosecutor-general on a plea to re-open the murder case of former Karachi Electric Supply Company managing director, Shahid Hamid, and delay the execution of Saulat Ali Mirza till the completion of fresh investigations against accused nominated by him.

A division bench, comprising justices Naimatullah Phulpoto and Shaukat Ali Memon, will take up the matter on Friday (today).

The petitioner told the two judges that Karachi's anti-terrorism court-V has issued fresh black warrants, fixing the execution of her husband on May 12 in Mach Jail, Balochistan. She said her husband had recorded a video statement in which he had disclosed the names of actual culprits, who had committed the aforementioned crime and demanded that the case be re-opened and investigated. He had also disclosed some important matters in his video statement, which was widely telecast and published in national and international media.

The petitioner said her husband's hanging was postponed with the announcement that the government will investigate the claims in the video statement. She said a joint investigation team (JIT) had reached Mach Jail for inquiry and recorded his statement.

The condemned prisoner's wife maintained that her husband was a valuable witness, adding that his evidence will be very important and would lead to all the culprits who were involved in the Shahid Hamid murder case.

If the matter is not investigated, the witness and his actual evidence would be buried, stated Nighat, adding that after this no one would dare speak the truth and the actual culprits would not be afraid of committing targeted killings of innocent people in the future. The petitioner said that, in light of the circumstances, the case may be re-opened and charges may be framed against the actual accused persons and the execution of Saulat Mirza's death sentence may be kept in abeyance in the meanwhile.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2015.