Pakistan

IHC rejects Shafqat Hussain's plea to form judicial commission to determine age

Last week, IHC issued a stay order against his execution just a day before he was scheduled to be hanged

Web Desk May 11, 2015

Prisoner Shafqat Hussain. PHOTO: REPRIEVE.ORG.UK

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday rejected the plea by Shafqat Hussain's counsel to form a committee that would probe an inquiry into the age of the death row convict, Express News reported.

Last week, IHC issued a stay order against his execution just a day before he was scheduled to be hanged.

The stay order was granted on the grounds that the inquiry conducted by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to determine Hussain’s age was ‘illegal’.

Read: Shafqat Hussain case: Petitioner challenges legality of FIA inquiry

The IHC last week had directed the government to explain the legal status of the inquiry conducted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to determine the age of the murder convict.

Today's hearing at the IHC rejected a further plea by Shafqat's counsel which would probe an inquiry into his age, meaning that there would be no further delay in his hanging.

Read: IHC stays Shafqat Hussain's execution in dispute over age

Sources confirmed that the chance of further requests or pleas to stay his hanging were slim.

Hussain was arrested and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in 2004 for the kidnapping and murder of a seven-year-old boy in 2001 from an apartment building in Karachi where he was working as a guard. His execution has been delayed three times as confusion over whether he was a juvenile when convicted or not remains unclear.

COMMENTS (2)

JOANNE WEISS | 9 years ago | Reply Nobody has the right to take the life of another - this includes revengeful state murder. Society creates the criminals and society should incarcerate not kill. Death penalty is destructive and immoral. To punish killers by killing them in cold blood is inhumane. AND ILLOGICAL. Society must accept its responsibility to protect ALL AS everyone has the right to life. Justice is done when the rest of society is protected from harm and effort made to rehabilitate killers. NO TO DEATH PENALTY

Ibrar | 9 years ago | Reply His was a heinous crime.However in the name of justice it is essential that his true age is determined before punishment. Determination of age in a case like this can be a challenging process but still need to be completed.

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