Man in prison for 27 years freed by SC

ISLAMABAD: The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday freed a man involved in a murder case following reconciliation among the parties in 2018.

The five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, heard the appeal of accused Muhammad Akram. Other members of the bench were Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, Dr Muhammad Khalid Masood (ad hoc member I) and Dr Qibla Ayyaz (ad hoc member II).

During the hearing, the counsel for the accused informed the court that reconciliation had been made between the accused and family of the deceased in 2018, adding that the accused had been in prison for 27 years.

Justice Isa felt sorry for the delay in deciding the case and observed that in some decisions, acquittal was based on reconciliation while some judicial precedents opposed such an acquittal. He said principles on this issue would be settled in another case. The court approved the appeal and released the accused.

Akram, a resident of Khanewal, was arrested on April 13, 1997 in a murder case. An agreement was reached between the accused and heirs of the deceased in 2018, but the case was not heard and he had to remain in jail until 2024.