PESHAWAR, Sept 1: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday upheld capital punishment awarded to a cleric by a trial court for killing one of his colleagues.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Jehanzeb Raheem dismissed the appeal of Shamsul Islam alias Fakhrul Islam and observed that the prosecution had proved its case against the accused-appellant.

The bench observed that the evidence on record was enough to connect the appellant with the commission of the offence.

The appellant was a prayer leader at a mosque in Takhtbhai (Mardan). The prosecution claimed that the inhabitants of the area were not satisfied with him and had decided to replace him with another cleric named Gul Faraz.

The appellant got annoyed with the decision and he killed Gul Faraz on Jan 15, 2001.