HYDERABAD: The Khair-pur police on Tuesday declared arrest of Hina Shah, wife of Asad Shah, in the alleged murder case of a nine-year-old housemaid, Fatima Furiro.

Fatima was employed as a housemaid in the haveli of Hina Shah’s husband, Asad Shah, who was arrested after the girl was found dead under mysterious conditions in the second week of August. Asad and Hina were booked in the FIR No.126 as the prime suspects under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Sections 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Khairpur Mirs SSP Dr Samiullah Soomro confirmed the arrest of Hina Shah while speaking to Dawn over phone on Tuesday. According to him, “she has surrendered to the Khairpur police in Hyderabad”.

He said several police parties were deployed at different points on information about her intention to move between Karachi and Hyderabad. “But she surrendered herself before one such party in Hyderabad and was arrested,” said the SSP.

Hina Shah’s father produced in court by police in separate case

Advocate Wali Mohammad Khoso, the counsel for Hina Shah and her father Fayyaz Shah, told Dawn that Hina Shah could not appear before the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, because she was now in police custody. He said Fayyaz Shah was produced in the court by the Khairpur police today (Tuesday). He had been on protective bail for six days under a Sept 20 order of the high court.

The Khairpur police informed the SHC division bench that Fayyaz Shah had been remanded in police custody for four days on Sept 2 by Khairpur’s Anti-Terrorism Court in a separate FIR.

Fayyaz Shah and Hina Shah had filed a joint bail application in the high court through Advocate Khoso. The division bench comprising Justice Mahmood A. Khan and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi had granted protective bail to Fayyaz Shah till Sept 26 in a sum of Rs50,000 in the FIR No.126/23. Bail to his daughter Hina Shah, was not granted as the court wanted the counsel to satisfy the bench as to how her application for pre-arrest bail could be entertained.

Fayyaz Shah was arrested on Sept 22 in a separate case registered by the Ranipur police vide crime No.127/23. When he was produced in court on Tuesday, the police informed the bench that he was arrested in a separate case, and not in the FIR in which he was allowed protective bail.

According to the defence counsel, the bench disposed of the bail application of his clients. He had also filed a contempt application in the court against Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Noman Zafar, Inspector Abdul Jabbar Memon, Sobhodero SHO Inspector Mohammad Bachal Kazi and the Ranipur SHO for arresting Fayyaz Shah during his protective bail period. The counsel was told that the contempt plea had become infructuous as Fayyaz Shah was arrested in a separate FIR.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023