Shahzeb murder case: Shahrukh Jatoi sentenced to death

Published June 7, 2013
Shahrukh Jatoi (R) gestures while his accomplice Siraj Talpur looks on from a court lockup before being convicted for murder in the Karachi on June 7, 2013. —AFP Photo
Shahrukh Jatoi (R) gestures while his accomplice Siraj Talpur looks on from a court lockup before being convicted for murder in the Karachi on June 7, 2013. —AFP Photo
Shahzeb Khan.—File Photo
Shahzeb Khan.—File Photo

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi sentenced Shahrukh Jatoi, the main accused in the Shahzeb murder case, to death in its verdict on Friday.

Moreover, another suspect, Siraj Talpur, was also awarded capital punishment for his role in the crime.

Whereas, two other suspects in the case, Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The ATC also announced that the convicted individuals would have to pay a fine of Rs 500,000 each. Moreover, Jatoi was handed an added three years prison sentence for illegal possession of weapons.

As soon as the judgment was announced, Jatoi's brother got into an argument with judges and had to be taken out of the court's premises.

Due to which, the detailed judgment of the case could not be signed by those convicted and they were sent away. They were, however, called back to the court's premises and asked to sign the judgment.

The convicted individuals were then taken towards central jail.

Later, family members of those convicted said they would file an appeal challenging the court's judgment.

Moreover, Jatoi's lawyer, Shaukat Hussain Zuberi, said he would file an appeal within seven days of today's ruling. Zuberi said the case's investigation was flawed from the very beginning.

A senior advocate, Kamal Azfar, recently filed a petition in the Sindh High Court to revisit the evidence on the weapon from which Jatoi fired at Shahzeb. That petition was also rejected today.

Speaking to DawnNews, Shahzaib's father said he was satisfied with the court's verdict.

Twenty-year-old Shahzeb Khan was gunned down on the night of December 24, 2012 when he was returning home along with his sister after attending a wedding. Shahzeb, son of a DSP, was murdered reportedly after he had an altercation with one of the suspects’ servant who had allegedly given verbal threats to the victim’s sister.

Jatoi, Siraj Talpur, his younger brother Sajjad Talpur and their house servant Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were charged with killing Shahzeb in the city’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The case had attracted much media attention after the Supreme Court took a suo motu notice of the murder.

Opinion

Editorial

Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

BEING stranded on foreign shores is hardly an agreeable experience. And if the environment is hostile — as it...
Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...