KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday refused to stop execution of death sentence to five accused, saying it will consider the matter after the Supreme Court’s decision announced.
A two-member bench of the SHC headed by Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar and comprising Justice Amjad Ali Sahito heard the appeals seeking revoking of death sentence awarded to five accused including Saad Aziz, Tahir Minhas, Azhar Ishrat, Hafiz Nasir and Asad-u-Rehman, by military court in Safoora bus carnage.
Hashmat Ali Habib, counsel of the applicants, told the court that despite the multiple notices, the respondents did not submit their replies.
He told the court that verdicts of Lahore High Court (LHC) and Supreme Court of Pakistan against the sentence awarded by military court are on the record.
The bench remarked that those decisions were made in 2017 but what happened after that? The counsel pleaded that death sentence of the accused be dismissed and an appeal has already been under proceeding in apex court.
The bench replied that death sentence could not be revoked and it would consider about the matter after the Supreme Court’s decision be announced. The counsel said who will be the responsible if the accused were executed.
The court issued notice to respondents till 11th March until the decision be announced on the pleas. According to prosecutor, a military court awarded death sentence to the convicts including Saad Aziz, Tahir Minhas, Azhar Ishrat, Hafiz Nasir and Asadur Rehman on May 12, 2015 in Safoora Goth carnage and other cases of terrorism. The death sentence was later ratified by the then Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Shareef.
At least 45 people were killed when terrorists targeted a bus carrying 60 members of the Ismaili community on May 13, 2015. The convicts, in their appeals through their counsel Hashmat Ali Habib, maintained that the military court had awarded death sentence to the accused on different allegations and the families were not provided with the details of cases.
The court was requested to stop the execution of the death penalty and to allow the meeting of the families with the convicts.
The Sindh prosecutor-general, in his arguments, maintained that the military court had awarded sentence in a serious offence, and appeal against the military court’s decision could be filed only in the Supreme Court.
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