Prime Suspect Convicted in Double Murder
A sessions court in Karachi has sentenced Atif Zaman to death in the 2019 murder case of TV anchorperson Mureed Abbas and his friend Khizer Hayat.
The court awarded the death sentence on two counts of murder. The case was linked to a monetary dispute between the victims and the prime suspect.
Mureed Abbas, a Bol News anchorperson, and Khizer Hayat were shot dead in Karachi’s Khayaban-i-Bukhari area on July 9, 2019.
Brother Declared Absconder
Atif Zaman and his brother Adil Zaman were arrested and booked after the killings. Police said the victims were business partners of the prime suspect.
Daniyal Muhammad Hussain, part of the complainant’s legal team, said Adil Zaman has been declared an absconder. He said Adil escaped after the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry cancelled his bail.
Adil Zaman’s case file will remain dormant until he is arrested or appears before the court.
Case Shifted From Anti-Terrorism Court
At the time of the incident, police described the killings as the result of a personal dispute. Mureed Abbas was shot dead, while Khizer Hayat received multiple bullet wounds.
Hayat was taken to a private hospital but later died from his injuries.
In October 2019, the case was transferred from an anti-terrorism court to a sessions court. The anti-terrorism court ruled that the offence did not fall within its jurisdiction.
