PESHAWAR, June 4: Follow-ing a 15-day stay of execution granted by the home department to a death row juvenile convict, the complainant family agreed on Sunday to pardon him and accept compensation on Sunday.

It is learnt that convict Mutaber Khan got new lease of life because of efforts of a social figure of his Tordher village in Swabi. Zabeehullah Bacha, chief of Social Protection Organisation of Swabi persuaded the main complainant Ms Shehzadgai to forgive the killer of five members of her family in exchange of compensation.

“Ms Shehzadgai and her family members have agreed to pardon Mutaber Khan and they would sign an agreement on Monday,” said Mr Bacha who had earlier arranged similar compensation agreenebts for two other death row convicts.

“Members of the complainant family,” he said, “demand Rs1 million compensation whereas I have arranged only Rs600,000. However, I am sure they would accept this amount.”

A prison official said that on May 20, a day before the scheduled execution, Mr Bacha informed them that he had traced the complainant family in Fatehjung (Punjab) and would persuade them to pardon the convict.

On his request, the home department stayed the execution for 15 days.

He told Dawn that in their communication to the home department they had suggested June 13 as tentative date for the execution.

Mutaber Khan and his mother Taj Bibi had exhausted all legal remedies available and the President of Pakistan also had dismissed his mercy petition.

He was arrested on April 15, 1996, for killing five members of the same family and was sentenced to death by a Swabi court on Oct 6, 1998.

A plea that he was a juvenile at the time he committed the crime was never raised before the trial court and it was not entertained by appellate forums, including the Peshawar High Court and the Supreme Court.

Mutaber contended that his date of birth in his school leaving certificate was Feb 8, 1990 and that he was only 16 years old at the time of his arrest.

Mutaber claimed that he was in love with Mashooqa, daughter of Khanzada, but he was asked to arrange Rs30,000 if he wanted to marry the girl.

When he arranged the amount and his family contacted Khanzada, they were informed that the family had already agreed to the marriage of the girl with a man from Attock for a payment of Rs80,000.

This infuriated Mutaber and he killed Khanzada, his daughters Mashooqa, Tajbaro and Mujahida, and his son Shehzada.

In May 2000, his appeal was dismissed by the Peshawar High Court while on Sept 13, 2001, the Supreme Court also rejected his appeal.

Mr Bacha informed Dawn that last month another condemned prisoner, Ajmal Khan, was pardoned by the complainant party as a result of his efforts. He said that they had arranged Rs700,000 Ajamal for payment of compensation.