IHC stays execution of two murder convicts till tomorrow

Islamabad
A divisional bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamir Farooq, here on Tuesday stayed execution of two murder convicts till April 2 after Advocate General Mian Abdur Rauf sought some time to assist the court regarding these two separate murder cases.
One of the convicts Raees Ahmed is a triple murder convict and confined at Adiala Jail. He was scheduled to be hanged on March 27. Raees Ahmed, through his counsel, approached the IHC while claiming that a compromise between him and the legal heirs of the deceased will soon be done.
Raees Ahmed of Bhara Kahu was awarded death sentence by a local court in 1999 for triple murder. Later, he filed appeals against the sentence that were dismissed by the High Court and Supreme Court of Pakistan. His brother and father were awarded sentence of imprisonment and they died inside the jail while serving the sentence.
The second one is Zulfiqar Ali Khan who was awarded death sentence by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi in 1999 for double murder in 1996 after he was arrested on April 14, 1996.
He has challenged his hanging on technical grounds while adopting that he was awarded death sentence by the ATC Rawalpindi while his death warrants were issued by the ATC Islamabad that has no jurisdiction.
Advocate General Islamabad Mian Abdur Rauf here on Tuesday submitted a notification before the IHC regarding establishment of an ATC in Islamabad. He argued that in 1999 when Zulfiqar Ali Khan was awarded death sentence, it was ATC Rawalpindi that used to hear cases of Islamabad region as well. The ATC Islamabad was formed later. The court then put off in this matter for further legal assistance from the advocate general till April 2. IHC bench also extended in the stay orders.
The convict, Zulfiqar Ali Khan, at present confined at Kot Lakhpat Jail of Lahore was scheduled to be hanged on the morning of March 30. The ATC had directed the authorities to execute the convict through death squad for committing the double murder.
Separately, in another matter, the same bench adjourned in the intera court appeal (ICA) of chairman Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) against federal government’s decision to send him on forced leave. The ICA was adjourned as an additional attorney general was not present in the court.