June 19, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 03, 1428

SAHIWAL, June 18: The Supreme Court of Pakistan stayed on Monday the execution of a condemned prisoner on a review petition filed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Convict Mansha, 21, had killed Aslam Pervez in a dacoity bid on January 30, 2000. The Lahore anti-terrorism court-III had on March 31, 2001, sentenced him to death. The Lahore High Court confirmed the sentence on May 20, 2002. The Supreme Court rejected his appeal on September 26, 2005. The president turned down his mercy appeal on March 28, 2007. He was scheduled to be hanged on May 15 but his execution was delayed on the orders of the president till June 19.

The HRCP’s Sahiwal Core Group and other human rights organisations had moved the Supreme Court pleading that the convict was a juvenile (born on September 17, 1986) at the time of the commission of the crime and on the date when he was convicted (March 31, 2001). The death penalty did not meet the ends of justice. He could be awarded life term, they submitted.

MURDER: A man was gunned down by four people, including his former master, in Chak 137/9-L on Sunday.

Salim quit the service of farmer Ehsanul Haq and joined Tahir Javed. Ehsan took it as his insult.

Ehsan, Ikramul Haq, Zubair and an unidentified man entered the dera of Tahir and opened fire on Salim, killing him on the spot.

Harappa police have registered a case.

DISTILLERY: Police unearthed a running distillery in Iqbal Nagar on Sunday, arrested its owner Sardar Ali Dogar and recovered 60 bottles of liquor.