May 03 , 2015
News
Saulat Mirza to be hanged on 12th
* Court issues death warrants of another 39 prisoners at Adiala Jail
KARACHI/RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi issued a fresh death warrant of Saulat Mirza on Saturday, according to which the condemned prisoner will be hanged on May 12 in Machh Jail.
Saulat Ali Khan, better known as Saulat Mirza, a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was sentenced to death by an ATC in 1999 for killing then managing director of Karachi Electric Supply Company Shahid Hamid, his driver, and a guard
in 1997 in Karachi’s Defence area.
The MQM has, however, said that Mirza had been fired from the party long before the murders took place. Mirza, however, denies the party’s claim.
The trial court had issued the first black warrant against Mirza onMarch 11 and had asked the jail authorities to send him to the gallows on March 19. However, the president had deferred the execution a few hours before the convict was to be hanged after private news channels aired a video message of the convict in which he levelled serious allegations against the top MQM leadership.
Later, a joint investigation team was also constituted to grill the death row prisoner. Another black warrant for Mirza was issued on March 24for hanging on April 1 after jail officials informed the trial court onMarch 22 that the three-day stay ordered by the president had ended, and they had not received any further stay order.
The superintendent of Machh Jail then wrote to the court informing it that the implementation of the last black warrant, issued on March 24for hanging on April 1, was deferred by the presidency for a month (April 1 to April 30).
Now this is the third death warrant issued for the condemned prisoner, who along with some other high-profile inmates was shifted from Karachi to Machh Jail in April last year.
The Sindh High Court had dismissed an appeal from Saulat Mirza against his conviction in 2000, and the Supreme Court had also rejected his plea. The review petition filed by Mirza was also rejected by the apex court in 2004.
Meanwhile, death warrants of 39 prisoners at Rawalpindi Central Jail have been issued following rejection of their mercy appeals by President Mamoon Hussain. The mercy appeals of these death-row convicts reached Adiala Jail after having been rejected in phases at the Presidency. The jail authorities have shifted the condemned prisoners to the death cell. These prisoners belong to Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Attock districts.
The third phase of execution of prisoners sentenced to death is going to start in the first 10 days of May.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk