ISLAMABAD, July 18: The Supreme Court on Monday admitted appeals of four convicts awarded death sentence for slaying Senior Superintendent Police (SSP), Gujranwala, Mohammad Ashraf Marth in May 1997. Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi and Justice Javed Buttar granted leave to appeal to the petitions of Ghulam Rasool, Abu Baker, Shabbir Hussain and Abdul Rauf, seeking quashment of the their sentences by a trial court, which according to them, failed to provide them proper right of defence.

In their jail petitions, the convicts have also requested the apex court to appoint Advocate Sardar Abdul Latif Khosa as defence counsel to represent them in the court, but the counsel during Monday’s hearing communicated to the bench about his inability.

SSP Marth, close relative of PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and his driver Tabassum Zameer were assassinated at DC Road Gujranwala, by three members of a sectarian outfit on May 6, 1997.

Judge Mohammad Shafeeq Chaudhry of the Anti-Terrorism Court Gujranwala awarded death sentence to Ghulam Rasool and Abu Baker on July 2000 on two counts each in addition to life imprisonment and 10 years life imprisonment with fine under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

Similarly Shabbir Hussain and Abdul Rauf were awarded life imprisonment on two counts each and a fine as accomplice in a criminal conspiracy to murder the senior police officer.

The Lahore High Court on April 2002 upheld the sentence.