ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday halted the execution of death row convict Shafqat Hussain for one day and directed the counsels to complete arguments as early as possible.
Justice Athar Minallah of IHC was hearing the case pertaining to the age of Shafqat Hussain during which the court stated that there is no value of interior ministry’s investigation after the verdict of IHC. He said that the inquiry conducted to determine the age of the convict was prima facie ‘illegal.’
Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the authority might not have determined the felon’s age as it was the prerogative of a judicial bench.
Subsequently, the court through interim decree has stayed the execution of Shafqat Hussain for one day by ordering the parties’ lawyers to complete their arguments over the case.
Earlier, a court re-issued death warrant of death row convict Shafqat Hussain. He will be hanged on May 6 at 5:30 am.
Hussain was convicted for kidnapping and killing a boy in his youth. He was sentenced to death punishment then but execution was halted until he came of age.
Further, death warrant was issued by the court but due to his controversial age at the time of verdict, the execution was halted until his age was confirmed.
INP
