An Islamabad court on Monday indicted Shahnawaz Amir —son of journalist Ayaz Amir— and his mother Sameena Shah in connection with the Sarah Inam murder case.
A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday indicted Shahnawaz Amir and his mother Sameena Shah. Judge Atta Rabbani dismissed Sameena Shah's application seeking to be discharged from the case, after reserving his verdict earlier this morning.
The court has asked the prosecution to summon the witnesses in court by December 14. Both the accused have pleaded 'not guilty' to the crime.
At the hearing today, Sameena Shah's lawyer Nasir Asghar told the court that although the police challan noted that his client was found at the crime scene, it did not mention her involvement, due to which she should be discharged from the case.
"When the prosecution’s case is not against her then she should be discharged from the case; the only reason given is that the plaintiff is insisting [on adding her name]," the lawyer argued, noting that when the police arrived at the crime scene, Sameena Shah had handed her son over to them.
The lawyer of the victim's father, said that two days after getting a divorce from Shahnawaz Amir, Sarah Inam had met with him and his mother at his farmhouse for dinner. He pointed out that the CCTV cameras installed at the farmhouse had stopped working the day of Sarah's visit.
"What happened when these three people sat together that evening?" the lawyer asked.
He also alleged that there were discrepancies between when Shah's counsel said the crime took place and what the post-mortem says. "According to their information, even if the incident happened at 9:00am, the post-mortem is telling something else," he said.
On September 27, Sarah Inam, the daughter-in-law of veteran journalist Ayaz Amir was allegedly killed by his son Shahnawaz in Chak Shehzad area of Islamabad. Shahnawaz later confessed to the crime, detailing how he had struck Sarah with a dumbbell laid nearby in his confession before police.
A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday indicted Shahnawaz Amir and his mother Sameena Shah. Judge Atta Rabbani dismissed Sameena Shah's application seeking to be discharged from the case, after reserving his verdict earlier this morning.
The court has asked the prosecution to summon the witnesses in court by December 14. Both the accused have pleaded 'not guilty' to the crime.
At the hearing today, Sameena Shah's lawyer Nasir Asghar told the court that although the police challan noted that his client was found at the crime scene, it did not mention her involvement, due to which she should be discharged from the case.
Read also: In Brief: Who Is Sara Murder Suspect Shahnawaz Amir?
"When the prosecution’s case is not against her then she should be discharged from the case; the only reason given is that the plaintiff is insisting [on adding her name]," the lawyer argued, noting that when the police arrived at the crime scene, Sameena Shah had handed her son over to them.
The lawyer of the victim's father, said that two days after getting a divorce from Shahnawaz Amir, Sarah Inam had met with him and his mother at his farmhouse for dinner. He pointed out that the CCTV cameras installed at the farmhouse had stopped working the day of Sarah's visit.
"What happened when these three people sat together that evening?" the lawyer asked.
He also alleged that there were discrepancies between when Shah's counsel said the crime took place and what the post-mortem says. "According to their information, even if the incident happened at 9:00am, the post-mortem is telling something else," he said.
On September 27, Sarah Inam, the daughter-in-law of veteran journalist Ayaz Amir was allegedly killed by his son Shahnawaz in Chak Shehzad area of Islamabad. Shahnawaz later confessed to the crime, detailing how he had struck Sarah with a dumbbell laid nearby in his confession before police.
Read also: Sara Murder Suspect Shahnawaz Amir Is An Addict: Journalist Adeel Sarfraz