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
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.
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.