KARACHI: The sister of death row convict Saulat Mirza filed a petition in the Sindh High Court on Thursday challenging the black warrant issued for the former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist.

The petitioner, Samira Wajahat, has contended that an appeal against Mirza's conviction had already been submitted in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and hence the implementation of his death sentence should be suspended until the apex court decided on the appeal.

Mirza was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in May 1999 for murdering the managing director of then named Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Shahid Hamid, his driver Ashraf Brohi and guard Khan Akbar in July 1997. He was moved along with four high-profile prisoners to the Machh jail, Balochistan, in April 2014.

Read: Saulat Mirza to be executed on March 19

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi had issued the black warrant of the death row prisoner on Wednesday following which preparations for the execution of Saulat Mirza were underway in Balochistan's Machh Central Jail.

Balochistan Prisons Department had also confirmed that death warrant about the execution of Mirza has been received and the former MQM activist had been shifted to the death cell of Machh jail.

Also read: Saulat Mirza's execution postponed

Mirza had earlier submitted a mercy petition before the president which was rejected after it remained pending for a long time.

Also read: Execution of six death warrants on the cards in Sindh

Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain said: “The mercy petition of prisoners on death row should not be rejected on political grounds and only those genuinely deserving the punishment must be hanged, which should begin with the terrorists.”

The MQM supremo had also clarified that Mirza was expelled from the party after his conviction and involvement in criminal activities had come to light.