ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday sentenced accused Shahnawaz Amir to death and imposed a penalty of Rs1 million in the Sarah Inam’s murder case.
Sessions Judge Nasir Javaid Rana, who reserved the verdict on December 9, delivered the judgment.
The victim, 37-year-old economist Sarah Inam, was allegedly killed by her husband, Shahnawaz Amir, using dumbbells. Shahnawaz, the son of journalist Ayaz Amir, was apprehended by the police as a suspect in the murder. He later confessed to the crime, citing suspicions of his wife having an affair. The couple had been married for only three months.
Following the murder, arrest warrants were issued for Ayaz Amir and his former wife Sameena Shah, nominated as suspects by Sarah’s family. Ayaz was arrested, but Sameena obtained pre-arrest bail. Sarah’s uncles accused Ayaz and Sameena of abetting the murder, leading to the addition of Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code in the police report.
During a hearing on September 27, Ayaz Amir was discharged from the case due to a lack of evidence against him. Shahnawaz, previously indicted for illegally possessing a Kalashnikov firearm, pleaded not guilty on February 6. However, on November 27, he was acquitted due to the prosecution’s failure to substantiate its charges, with the court deeming the evidence “doubtful.” It’s worth noting that a separate case related to the recovery of a Kalashnikov from Shahnawaz was registered by the police.
Last month, the prime suspect rejected all prosecution evidence, dismissing it as “baseless.”
