A district and sessions court in Islamabad sentenced Shahnawaz Amir to death for the murder of his wife Sarah Inam on Thursday and imposed a Rs1 million fine on him.

Moreover, the court acquitted another suspect Samina Shah in the case. She is an ex-wife of senior journalist Ayaz Amir.

District and Sessions Court Judge Nasir Javed announced the reserved the decision on the case. The court had reserved the decision on December 9.

The decision was announced a year after a court in the federal capital indicted the prime suspect in the case on December 15, 2022.

Sarah Inam, a Canadian national, was allegedly murdered by her husband in Islamabad on September 24, 2022. The accused, Shahnawaz Amir, is the son of renowned journalist Ayaz Amir. He was arrested on September 23 last year.

Shahnawaz was later sent on a judicial remand. He was indicted in the murder case on December 5, 2022.

A first information report was registered under Section 302 (punishment of qatl-i-amd) of the Pakistan Penal Code on September 23, 2022.

When the police entered the house, Shahnawaz locked himself up in a room. The police forced their entry into the room and overpowered the man, “whose shirt and hands were stained with blood,” the FIR added.

While addressing a press conference in September, father of Sarah called for speedy trial of the case against the suspect.

In last hearing of the case, suspect Samina Shah’s lawyer Nisar Asghar the evidence does not prove the involvement of his client in the murder.

‘A precedent has been set’

“It was a very open and shut case,” Barrister Waqas Abraiz Khan said as he joined Aaj News in the live transmission.

“Right from the first day and till now I was very clear about this thing that after viewing all the legal merits, facts, and law it was anticipated that [the prime suspect] will be given death sentence,” he stated as he described the killing as a “brutal murder”.

He went on to add that it was needed to set a precedent as he stressed the need for improvement in the legal system. According to Khan, law enforcement agencies and judiciary were criticised for their “low conviction rate”.

He added that the conviction of Shahnawaz was “one of the landmark judgements” and a precedent has been set.

The legal expert stated that it was anticipated that such cases were delayed, prompting victim’s heirs to opt for compromise. He praised the efforts of the complainants and prosecutors.

“Today, the court set a precedent,” he said and slammed those who demean women and do not care for their safety.

Does Shahnawaz has right to appeal?

When asked, legal expert Khan said that the convict would file an appeal within 30 days at an appellate forum.

But he lamented that the court decisions were not executed over the last three years. He mentioned the motorway rape case in which culprits have so far not been sentenced to death despite the conviction.

He also spoke about the punishment of main culprit in the Noor Mukadam case.

“Justice should be served in our country. Cases should be speedily decided,” he said and highlighted that 53,000 cases were pending in the Supreme Court.

He called for accelerating the justice system.