KARACHI, April 14: The Sindh High Court on Friday reserved judgment on an appeal by a former policeman against his conviction in triple murder case after hearing closing arguments.

Mureed Abbas was sentenced to life imprisonment by an STA court on June 14, 2003 having found him guilty of killing three persons in Pak Colony. The court acquitted the co-accused PC Abdul Khaliq of charge.

According to prosecution, Mureed Abbas and co-accused killed three persons, Kashmir Khan, Zalal Khan and Mohammad Nasir, at a tea restaurant on July 27, 1997, on a domestic dispute. The state also filed appeals for enhancement of sentence of the appellant.

Defence counsel Mehmood A Qureshi contended that the deceased tried to snatch official sub-machine gun of appellant and during scuffle automatic gun suddenly went off causing death of three persons. He argued that killing was not intentional but accidental.

Assistant Advocate General Habib Ahmed and complainant’s counsel Ijaz Khatak supported the prosecution case and prayed the court to enhance the punishment of the appellant as he had killed three persons intentionally.

SHC’s division bench, comprising Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffery and Justice Ali Sain Dino Metlo, after hearing arguments of counsel reserved the judgment on appeals.—PPI