ATC issues black warrant for Shafqat Hussain, to be executed on March 19

Published March 12, 2015
Shafqat Hussain was said to be 14 years old at the time of his conviction. - via Justice Project Pakistan
Shafqat Hussain was said to be 14 years old at the time of his conviction. - via Justice Project Pakistan

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday issued a death warrant for the execution of a condemned prisoner Shafqat Hussain, who is said to be a juvenile at the time of committing the crime.

Hussain, who is now 23-years-old, is set to be executed on March 19.

Shafqat was arrested and sentenced to death in 2004 for kidnapping and killing a seven-year-old boy from an apartment building in Karachi where he was working as a guard.

In September the same year, Shafqat, said to be 14 years old at the time, was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court. His murder charge was reduced to ‘involuntary manslaughter’ on appeal, but the terrorism charges against him were not quashed.

Take a look: Footprints: Lives and a death on hold

Officials of the Karachi central prison asked the trial court (ATC-III) on Wednesday to issue the fresh black warrant for the hanging of the death row prisoner since the government had lifted an interim stay against his execution.

Know more: New black warrant sought to hang ‘underage’ killer

The appeals and mercy petition of the condemned prisoner had already been rejected by the superior judiciary and the presidency, respectively, they added.

The death row prisoner has been dodging death for the past many years since implementation on his black warrants, repeatedly issued by the trial court, was stayed as the Pakistan Peoples Party government had placed a moratorium on executions after coming into power in 2008.

Also read: Execution of death row prisoner Shafqat Hussain halted

The counsel for the death row prisoner had petitioned the Sindh High Court against his possible hanging stating that he was wrongly convicted as a juvenile in the kidnapping and murder case. However, Earlier this week, Pakistan lifted its moratorium on the death penalty in all capital cases, after initially restarting executions for terrorism offences in the wake of the Taliban Army Public school massacre.

Opinion

Broken promises

Broken promises

Perhaps the biggest impediment to the successful mainstreaming of ex-Fata and its development has been the lack of funding.

Editorial

Wake-up call
09 Nov, 2024

Wake-up call

THE United Nations Human Rights Committee has sent a clear message to the government: it must work to bring the...
Foreign banks’ exit
09 Nov, 2024

Foreign banks’ exit

WHY are foreign banks leaving Pakistan? In the last couple of decades, we have seen a number of global banking...
Kurram protest
09 Nov, 2024

Kurram protest

FED up with the state’s apathy towards their plight, the people of Kurram tribal district took to the streets on...
IHK resolution
Updated 08 Nov, 2024

IHK resolution

If the BJP administration were to listen to Kashmiris, it could pave the way for the resumption of the political process in IHK.
Climate realities
08 Nov, 2024

Climate realities

THE Air Quality Index in Lahore once again shot past the 1,000-level mark on Wednesday morning, registering at an...
Rule by fear
08 Nov, 2024

Rule by fear

THE abduction of an opposition MNA, as claimed by PTI, is yet another grim episode in Pakistan’s ongoing crisis of...