Zahra Shahid murder: SHC commutes death sentence into life term

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) has commuted the death sentence awarded to two convicts in PTI leader Zahra Shahid’s murder case into life term, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

An Anti Terrorism Court had awarded death sentence along with fine to two culprits of the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid, in its verdict on August 31 last year.

Ms Shahid was shot dead outside her residence in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority Phase-IV in May 2013.

Convicts Rashid Tailor and Zahid Abbas Zaidi had challenged their conviction by the ATC in Sindh High Court.

The defence counsel in his arguments said that the case against his clients was registered nine days after the murder incident. He also said that the statements by the witnesses were contradictory.

The bench after arguments of the prosecution and defence commuted death sentence of the two convicts into life imprisonment.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) had convicted Rashid Tailor and Zahid Abbas Zaidi and awarded them capital punishment. The same court had also acquitted two accused, Irfan and Kaleem, for want of evidence.