KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has set aside the death sentence handed down to two men in a murder case after both sides reached a compromise.

A sessions court had sentenced Abdul Salam and Jawaid to death in April 2013 for killing Baloch Khan during a robbery at an eatery in Saeedabad in October 2007.

The appellants had challenged their convictions before the SHC and a two-judge bench headed by Justice K.K. Agha allowed their appeals since a compromise was reached between the two sides and same was placed before the bench.

According to the prosecution, the accused along with their absconding accomplice, Shahzad, broke into an eatery on Oct 26, 2007, held the staff and people at gunpoint and started collecting cash and other valuables. Howe­ver, Baloch Khan, an employee of the eatery, put up resistance and the accused opened fire leaving him critically wounded, it added.

The victim died a couple of days later. The police arr­ested the accused on Oct 30, 2007 in another case and during interrogations they disclosed their involvement in the present case.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 393 (attempt to commit robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Saeedabad police station on a complaint of the owner of the eatery.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2019