AGP to challenge acquittal of accused in Shahzeb murder case

The Office of the Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP) on Tuesday announced the filing of a review petition against the acquittal of the accused in the Shahzeb Khan Murder case.

According to the 24News HD TV channel, the Office of the AGP issued a press released related to the proceedings in the Shahzeb Khan Murder Case and expressed its concern over the acquittal of the accused.

In the press release, the AGP office said the acquittal of the accused in the criminal appeal has been noted without seeking the position of the Attorney General.

In support of its announcement, the office of the AGP stated that despite the instance case having already been adjudicated to be one of constitutional importance by the Supreme Court which mandates seeking the assistance of the AG as has been sought previously in petitions pertaining to the same matter.

A reference of the case of Muhammad Jibran Nasir versus State reported as PLD 2018 SC 351 that was pleaded by AGP Ashtar Ausaf Ali before the Apex Court is also given in this regard.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court acquitted convict Shahrukh Jatoi, who was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court but later the high court commuted the sentence to life term in the 2012 murder case of Shahzeb.

The apex court also acquitted all the accused after the court was informed that both sides had struck an out-of-court settlement.

The three-judge Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan, heard the case. 

Accused’s counsel Latif Khosa told the court that both sides had reached an agreement and the accused had no intention to spread “terror”.

He further said a murder case was unfortunately highlighted as terrorism. The Supreme Court’s verdict regarding terrorism was absolutely clear, he added.

The trial court had awarded a death sentence to Shahrukh Jatoi and Nawab Siraj Talpur while Nawab Sajjad Ghulam Murtaza was imprisoned for life.

The Sindh High Court had commuted the death sentences into life terms, against which the accused also filed appeals in the Supreme Court.

Shahrukh Jatoi was involved in the killing of young Shahzeb, the only son of a retired DSP, in Defence Housing Authority in December 2012. An ATC had handed him death sentence in 2013.

In 2017, the complainant side had ‘pardoned’ Shahrukh Jatoi under the country’s Qisas and Diyat law. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took notice of it. Subsequently, his death sentence was converted into life imprisonment by the Sindh High Court.