Zulfiqar Ali Khan did not have a fair trial nor was due process upheld.

He could not afford a lawyer and was given a court-appointed defence counsel, who never met him outside the court.

Falsified witness statements were used by the prosecution and none of the witnesses were properly cross-examined.

Despite glaring failures by the defence, in his judgment the judge still sentenced Zulfiqar to death. Appeals in High Court and the Supreme Court were also dismissed.

Zulfiqar was sentenced to death by firing squad by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi in 1999, which was confirmed by the High Court in 2001. His Supreme Court appeal was rejected in 2002.

The black warrant was issued after the moratorium on the death penalty was completely lifted in March 2015.