PESHAWAR, Oct 16: Dismissing a criminal appeal, a division bench of the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday maintained capital punishment awarded to a convict by the trial court.

The appellant, Hamid Khan, was convicted by the additional district and sessions judge, Peshawar, on Feb 22, 1999, after he was found guilty of killing Munawwar Shah, son of Zahid Shah, of Surezai Bala area.

The complainant in the case was brother of the deceased, Munawwar Shah. The appellant had killed the deceased on Nov 27, 1993. The complainant had claimed that the appellant and the deceased had exchanged hot words over a petty dispute after which the latter was killed by the former.

On completion of arguments by both the parties, the bench comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice Malik Hamid Saeed pronounced that the appeal was dismissed.

APPEAL ACCEPTED: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday set aside a judgment of a Qazi court and acquitted an accused earlier sentenced to life by the court.

The appellant, Muzzafar Shah, was convicted by the Qazi court in Buner, Malakand division, on Oct 30, 1998. He was charged with killing Gul Mohammad on July 28, 1996 in Buner.

Counsel for the appellant contended that he was falsely implicated in the instant case.

He argued that the trial court had erred on different counts while convicting th accused.