On July 9, a sessions court in Karachi sentenced Atif Zaman to death for the murders of TV anchor Mureed Abbas and his friend Khizer Hayat, which occurred on July 9, 2019, over a financial dispute. The court also issued permanent arrest warrants for Atif’s brother, Adil Zaman, who has been declared an absconder.
The case was initially tried by an anti-terrorism court before being transferred to a sessions court after it was ruled that the offence did not fall within the ambit of terrorism-related charges.
In addition to the murder charges, Atif Zaman was also sentenced to a seven-year term for possession of illegal arms used in the crime.
