AGP to challenge acquittal of accused in Shahzeb murder case,

Islamabad;(Mudassar Chuhdary)_In a statement issued by the Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali on the proceedings in the Shahzeb Khan murder case, it expressed “concern” over the acquittal.

The attorney general contended that the sentence was passed without seeking his position on the matter.

“This is despite the instant case having already been adjudicated to be one of constitutional importance by the Supreme Court, which mandates seeking the assistance of the Attorney-General – as has been sought previously in petitions pertaining to the same matter,” the attorney general noted.Ali said that Jatoi had committed an act of egregious terrorism and that an earlier acquittal order of the Sindh High Court (SHC), dated November 28, 2017, was per incuriam in view of the Supreme Court and that the accused be tried within the ambit of antiterrorism provisions.

With the attorney general’s view accepted, convictions of the accused were upheld in appeal by the Sindh High Court, following convictions duly handed down after close consideration of the evidence at a trial by an antiterrorism judge.Ali further argued that in the event that the apex court arrived at an outcome “outside of its own previous pronouncements relating to antiterrorism offences,” the Attorney-General’s assistance must regardless be sought as to the acceptance of compromise, the scope of fisad-fil-arz, and the particular circumstances of the instant case a review of judgement would be eminent.He continued that “for all the aforementioned reasons, the office of the Attorney General will be filing a review petition against the judgment of the Supreme Court in Shahrukh Jatoi v. The State through the attorney general of Sindh as soon as the detailed order is released.