ISLAMABAD, April 28: Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar asked Attorney-General Malik Mohammad Qayyum on Monday to find out if the government had plans to bring a legislation to commute death sentence into life term.

“Please tell the court whether any legislation is under consideration of the government on death sentence,” the chief justice observed when appeals of Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Azam and Shah Sawar were taken up by the court at the fag end of the day’s proceedings.

Feeling that the bench was about to adjourn the matter, Advocate Sardar Siddiq requested the court to continue with the case because a delay would result in the hanging of the convicts.

How can they be hanged when the case was pending before the top court? the chief justice asked.

The counsel recalled that the government had sent amid great fanfare an Indian spy (Kashmir Singh) back to his country by pardoning him and it was about to release another (Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh convicted of terrorism), but was unmoved about its own prisoners.

“It is with the government to forgive or pardon any convict and the Supreme Court has nothing to do with it,” the chief justice observed. It was done on a case-to-case basis, the attorney general intervened.

The execution of Sarabjit Singh was delayed by President Pervez Musharraf for a month after the Indian government and his family separately filed appeals with the Pakistan government.

His execution had been set for April 1 after the rejection of his appeals by courts and a mercy petition by the president.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...
Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...