Shahnawaz Amir, the main suspect in the death of Sarah Inam, had his physical remand ordered by an Islamabad court extended for a further three days on Monday.Following a disagreement over a family matter on September 23, senior journalist Ayaz Amir’s son Shahnawaz is accused of killing his wife Sarah at home.
Shahnawaz confessed to the killing and claimed that he “thought” his wife was having an affair with another person. He was apprehended by the police from a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad district after being identified as a suspect in his wife’s death. Only three months were spent as a married pair.
A trial judge authorised the arrest warrants for Ayaz Amir and his ex-wife Sameena Shah the following day after receiving a suspect nomination from Sarah’s relatives. Ayaz Amir was dismissed from the case since there was “no proof” linking him to the murder, while the court granted Sameena an interim pre-arrest and instructed her to participate in the investigation.
At the request of Sarah’s uncles, Colonel (retd) Ikram and Zia-ur-Rahim, who have accused Ayaz Amir and his ex-wife of being responsible for their niece’s murder, a new clause of Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code—which deals with punishment for abetment—was added to the police report that was filed after the murder.
The hearing today
When the physical remand period for suspect Shahnawaz ended, the police brought him before civil judge Aamir Aziz and asked for an additional three days to continue questioning him.The investigative officer told the court that “Police have to recover Sarah Inam’s passport.”The passport, he claimed, is “important evidence” because it provides Sarah’s travel records.
Meanwhile, Sarah was allegedly slain in Shahnawaz Amir’s home, according to the complainants’ attorney. If the police were unable to locate Sarah’s passport even 14 days after the murder, he warned that the suspect would escape.
The judge then commented that incomplete investigations shouldn’t cause the case to be dismissed. The police thereafter asked the court to extend Shahnawaz Amir’s physical detention, and the court agreed.
