Surprise visit to Malir jail: CJP directs authorities to shift Shahrukh Jatoi to death cell

KARACHI: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Saqib Nisar, took notice over the provision of better class facilities to death row convict Shahrukh Jatoi in the Malir Prisons and directed the jail authorities to shift the convict to the death row cell.

The CJP paid a surprise visit to the Malir jail on Saturday, where the death row convict Shahrukh Jatoi and money laundering suspect Abdul Ghani Majeed were being held. Justice Saqib took exception of provision of air condition and TV to the death row prisoner. The CJP inquired the superintendent prisons as to how the death row prisoner was provided these facilitates. On arrival of the Chief Justice, Shahrukh Jatoi raised objection over the filming of his video by media.

The CJP directed the superintendent prison to shift the death row convict to the death cell and submit the report. The Additional IG Prisons later submitted report to the CJP in Supreme Court submitting that the convict was shifted to the central prison Karachi and lodged in the death row cell. He also submitted that the superintendent Malir prisons was suspended by the home department and an inquiry was ordered for providing facilities to the death row convict.

The appeal of death row convict Shahrukh Jatoi is pending in the SHC following judgment of Supreme Court that had set aside the previous SHC judgment striking down the conviction awarded by the Anti Terrorism Court and remanding back the case to Sessions court for denovo trial. Shahrukh Jatoi along with Nawab Siraj Ali Talpur were sentenced to death while Siraj’s brother Nawab Sajjad Ali Talpur and his employee Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Anti-Terrorism Court on June 7, 2013. They were found guilty of murdering a university student Shahzaib Khan on December 24, 2012.

Later, the Chief Justice visited the water plant of a private water supply company and directed the authorities to submit detailed report about the working of the plant including details of taxes paid.