Machh Jail writes to ATC for Saulat Mirza’s execution order

KARACHI: The Machh Jail administration has written a letter to the anti-terrorism court (ATC) concerned seeking a new date for the hanging of Saulat Mirza whose execution was due on March 19 but was postponed at the eleventh hour after the release of a videotape that contained his confession and also made startling disclosures against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders.
Sources said that it was expected that the trial court (ATC-V) that received the letter on Saturday would pass its order on March 24 due to the Sunday factor and then on account of the March 23 holiday.
Previously the ATC concerned had issued a black warrant for the death row prisoner on March 11 directing the Machh prison authorities to hang him on March 19. But Mirza could not be hanged as the president of Pakistan stayed his execution for 72 hours and now the Interior Ministry has recommended that his execution be stayed for 90 days.
Mirza was sentenced to death by the ATC (V) headed by Javed Alam in May 1999 for murdering the managing director of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), Shahid Hamid, his driver, Ashraf Brohi and guard, Khan Akbar, in July 1997. Saulat Mirza was moved along with four high-profile prisoners to Machh Jail, Balochistan, in April 2014.
The authorities concerned approached the ATC (V) to issue the black warrant and fix a date for hanging and it ordered the execution of Mirza at 5:30am on March 19.
Mirza’s brother had challenged his (Mirza) transfer to Machh Jail in the Sindh High Court (SHC). However, it was disposed of as the provincial government took the plea that Mirza was shifted due to security reasons. The appeals of Mirza were rejected by the Sindh High Court (SHC) and the Supreme Court (SC).
Later, his mercy petition remained pending with the president and it was finally rejected by President Mamnoon Hussain. As many as 24 death row prisoners have been hanged after the government lifted the moratorium in December following a violent attack by the Taliban militants on the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed more than 150 people, mostly students.
The Interior Ministry sent a request pertaining to a stay on Mirza’s execution and pushed for another 90 days. Besides, it is learnt that the government decided to re-open the murder case of former KESC managing director Shahid Hamid, a day after Mirza hurled serious allegations against the MQM, hours before his hanging on Thursday.