A Karachi court on Thursday sentenced Atif Zaman to death on two counts in the high-profile murder case of TV anchor Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat, nearly seven years after the killings.

The verdict was announced by the Additional District and Sessions Court (South), which held its proceedings in the Judicial Complex inside Karachi Central Jail.

The court found Atif Zaman guilty of murdering both victims and awarded him two death sentences.

It also directed him to pay Rs500,000 in compensation to the legal heirs of each victim.

In a separate case, the court sentenced Atif Zaman to seven years’ imprisonment and imposed a Rs50,000 fine for possessing illegal weapons.

The court also issued permanent arrest warrants for co-accused in the murder case, Adil Zaman, who has been declared a proclaimed offender after absconding following the Supreme Court’s rejection of his bail plea.

Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat were shot dead on July 9, 2019.

Police had registered a case against Atif Zaman and his brother Adil Zaman at Darakhshan police station of Karachi.

According to the prosecution, the two brothers murdered the victims over a business dispute involving financial transactions.

The case was initially heard by an anti-terrorism court after being transferred from the City Courts before it was later shifted to the Judicial Complex for trial.