KARACHI: The Malir judicial magistrate summoned on Monday the jail record of Shahrukh Jatoi, the main suspect in the Shahzeb Khan murder case.
The court was hearing the case of the primary suspect reportedly travelling out of the country on fraudulent documents after committing the murder in 2012.
As the court began hearing the case, the judge issued production orders of the suspect.
In response, the counsel for Jatoi informed the court that his client was in jail on the Supreme Court’s orders. The court then sought a report from the jail authorities.
According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), owing to the suspect’s no-show, he is yet to be indicted in the case.
Shahzeb was gunned down by Jatoi, the son of an influential feudal lord and businessman, in a posh locality of Karachi on December 25, 2012.
The prosecution claimed that Jatoi flew to Dubai on Dec 27, 2012 – three days after the incident -, according to the Dubai immigration entry stamp on his passport.
The lack of any exit stamp by the immigration authorities at Karachi airport confirmed that the accused left the country in a fraudulent manner with help of government officials. Jatoi was brought back to the country a couple of weeks later after he reportedly surrendered himself.
At the last hearing of the case on Dec 14, 2017, Jatoi was granted bail in the sum of Rs 100,000 after the prosecution chose to not contest the plea, according to a report.
Among Jatoi’s co-accused in the case are former protocol officer of Bilawal House, Jatoi’s brother Nawab Ali Jatoi, director of Sikandar Ali Jatoi Group of Companies Muhammad Khurram, former PIA officials Mehmood Sultan and Wasi Akhtar, as well as two travel agents, Umar Domki and Abu Bakr Domki. The accused are yet to be indicted in the case.
In 2013, an anti-terrorism court awarded death sentences to Jatoi and Siraj Talpur for the murder of Shahzeb, while life sentences were awarded to Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari.
On November 28, 2017, the Sindh High Court ordered a retrial of the case in a sessions court on the suspects’ petition against the inclusion of terrorism charges in the case.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ordered re-arrest of Jatoi, Siraj Talpur and the other convicts after converting a civil society petition against the SHC order into a suo motu case. Following the apex court’s order, the suspects were taken into custody in Islamabad and later transferred to Karachi.
Later, news reports stated that Jatoi was shifted to Jinnah hospital owing to his ‘ill health’. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took notice of the transfer from jail to hospital and came down hard on the hospital and jail administration while hearing the case on February 17.
During his incarceration from 2013 onwards, Jatoi reportedly spent a substantial amount of time at Jinnah hospital.
Published in Daily Times, February 20th 2018.