The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday acquitted two death row convicts after granting them the benefit of doubt in a murder case.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry heard the appeals filed by convicts Safdar Khan and Qalab Abbas against their convictions and death sentences.
Advocate Pir Masood Chishti, representing the appellants, argued that a murder case had been registered against the convicts at Qadirpur Police Station in Jhang on January 18, 2018. The prosecution had alleged that the accused murdered Zafar Khan and injured another person, Zulfiqar.
The counsel contended that the trial court had failed to properly appreciate the evidence on record and that there were material contradictions in the statements of the complainant and injured witness Zulfiqar. He further argued that while one prosecution witness declared Safdar Khan innocent, another implicated him in the crime.
The defence also pointed out discrepancies between the medical evidence and eyewitness accounts. According to the medical report, the victim sustained gunshot wounds from behind, whereas eyewitnesses claimed the shots were fired from the front. He requested the court to set aside the judgment of the trial court, which had awarded them the death penalty on April 29, 2023.
After hearing the arguments, the court accepted the appeals, declared the convictions unsustainable, and acquitted both convicts by extending the benefit of doubt.
Court records statements of 16 witnesses in Iman Afroz murder case
The District & Sessions Court of Islamabad has recorded statements of 16 prosecution witnesses so far in the murder case of 22-year-old Islamic University student Iman Afroz, who was found dead in a hostel.
The court on Tuesday recorded testimonies from two more witnesses and adjourned further proceedings until July 2. The case came up for hearing before Muhammad Afzal Majoka at the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad.
During the proceedings, government prosecutor Raja Naveed Hussain appeared before the court on behalf of the state. The court recorded statements from two prosecution witnesses, taking the total number of witnesses examined in the case to 16.
After completing the day’s proceedings, the court summoned additional prosecution witnesses for the next hearing.