ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday extended till October 3 the pre-arrest interim bail of Sameena Shah, mother of Shahnawaz, the prime suspect in the Sarah Inam murder case.

Additional district and sessions judge Sheikh Sohail resumed hearing on the plea seeking the pre-arrest bail of Ms Shah, the ex-wife of Ayaz Amir.

The court on Oct 26 had granted interim bail to Ms Shah till Oct 1. She has been nominated as a co-accused in the murder case of her daughter-in-law, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin.

The murder took place at her farmhouse located in Islamabad’s Shahzad Town where she was living along with her son Shahnawaz. Her counsel told the court that Shahnawaz had sent Sameena a message on Whatsapp at 12:37am on September 23.

Interim bail of main suspect’s mother in Sarah case extended

“In the message, Shahnawaz asked her to talk to Sarah’s family about [their] rukhsati after which Sameena went to bed,” the counsel said, adding his client was in the kitchen which was at some distance from the room where the incident took place when she received a call from there at 9:12am.

By the time Sameena got to the place of the incident, Sarah was already dead, he said.

The lawyer argued that her client made the alleged killer sit in the room and informed the police. He said the police reached the crime scene and arrested the suspect on the basis of her information.

The court adjourned further hearing in the matter till Oct 3, when the prime suspect in the case will also be produced before a judicial magistrate after expiry of his physical remand.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2022