ISLAMABAD: A sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday sentenced Shahnawaz Amir to death in the murder case of his former wife Sara Inam and also fined him Rs1 million.

District and Sessions Judge (East) Nasir Javed Rana issued a judgement of 75 pages in the murder case of Canadian national Sara Inam.

As per the details of the case, Shahnawaz Amir, son of journalist Ayaz Amir, had a quarrel with her ex-wife on Sept 22, 2022, and then killed her with a dumbbell.

His mother Samina Shah informed the Shehzad Town police station on Sept 23 about the incident.

Mother of Shahnawaz Amir acquitted

The police also nominated Ms Shah as an accused in this case for allegedly abetting her son in the murder of his ex-wife. However, The court acquitted Ms Shah giving her the benefit of doubt.

During the investigation, the police recovered the murder weapon from the crime scene and sent it for forensic analysis to the Punjab Forensic Science Academy, Lahore.

The alleged motive behind the murder was disclosed during the investigation. The investigation disclosed that Sara Inam was a working woman in Abu Dhabi.

Amir was demanding money, had harsh arguments with her on the phone and then divorced her. She came to his farmhouse on Sept 22 from Abu Dhabi and had a brawl with Amir in the bedroom.

He hit her with a showpiece clay pot and when she was crying, he silenced her by inflicting multiple blows on her head with a dumbbell. He then hid her dead body in the washroom.

Initially, Amir and his mother were put on trial.

They were indicted in the murder case and both pleaded not guilty. During the trial proceedings, 19 prosecution witnesses testified before the court.

The court noted that the “result of all the forensic analysis reports directly connect the accused Shahnawaz Amir with the commission of murder of Sara Inam”.

The Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency “depicts moderate evidence to support the prosecution hypotheses”. The verdict also briefly discussed the relationship between the convict and the deceased. It said that the parents of Sara Inam were not happy with the marriage. However, they wanted an ‘honourable rukhsati’ (send off) of their beloved daughter. But, Amir divorced her and Sara learnt about this from her colleague in Abu Dhabi. Hearing this “she rushed to Islamabad to settle down the things and when at night time Sara Inam discussed these issues with [the] accused, a quarrel took place” which led to her death.

Evaluating the evidence produced by Shahnawaz Amir in his defence, the court noted, “The defence side took specific pleas to shift the criminal liability from the shoulders of Shahnawaz Amir accused to some unknown culprits, but, unfortunately, the accused miserably failed to tender any plausible and constructive defence.”

The judge ruled that the defence could not produce enough evidence to prove these specific claims.

The court concluded, “The nutshell of the above discussion is that the prosecution has successfully proved its case beyond a shadow of any doubt up to the hilt of the guilt of the accused Shahnawaz Amir who is held guilty of the commission of intentional murder of Sara Inam, therefore, he is hereby convicted.” The court ordered to hang him by the neck till death.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2023