Death penalty awarded in Mureed Abbas murder case after seven-year trial

KARACHI: Nearly seven years after the sensational double murder of television anchorperson Mureed Abbas and his friend Khizer Hayat, an Additional District and Sessions Court on Thursday sentenced prime accused Atif Zaman to death on two counts of murder.

The court also handed Atif a seven-year prison sentence in an illegal arms case linked to the murder weapon and issued permanent arrest warrants for his absconding brother and co-accused, Adil Zaman, who has been declared a proclaimed offender.

Lawyer Jibran Nasir, a member of the legal team representing Abbas's family, confirmed the verdict in a post on X, saying the court had awarded Atif the death sentence for both murders after a seven-year trial.

The killings took place on July 9, 2019, in Karachi's Defence Housing Authority Phase VI, where Abbas and Hayat were shot dead following a financial dispute with Atif Zaman.

According to the prosecution, Abbas had gone to Atif's office after being told he could collect Rs5 million allegedly owed to him. Shortly afterwards, his wife, Sidra Abbas, received a call informing her that her husband had been shot. She rushed him to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors pronounced him dead. Hayat was also shot outside the building while attempting to flee.

The murder case was registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Abbas's widow, while a separate case related to Atif's attempted suicide after the incident was lodged by the state.

Investigators relied heavily on CCTV footage, which showed Atif entering the building with his brother Adil, who was carrying a firearm. The footage captured the pair heading towards Atif's office before returning downstairs moments later. It also showed injured Abbas being carried from the building as police arrived at the scene.

According to investigators, panic spread through the building after the shooting, while Atif allegedly gunned down Hayat outside before fleeing with his brother. Adil Zaman remains at large after absconding when the Supreme Court rejected his bail plea. The court has now ordered his permanent arrest.