Supreme Court Commutes Death Sentence to Life Imprisonment in Karachi Mobile Snatching Murder Case

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has converted the death sentences of the accused into life imprisonment in a case related to a murder committed during a mobile phone snatching incident in Karachi.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar heard the case. During the proceedings, the court was informed that the incident occurred in 2011 and that the First Information Report (FIR) was registered two days later against unknown persons.
Counsel for the petitioner argued that the police had reached the crime scene at the time of the incident, yet the FIR did not even mention mobile phone snatching. He maintained that the case was later portrayed as a mobile snatching incident by the complainant party.
While hearing the case, Justice Hashim Kakar observed that matters involving the death penalty demand extreme caution, remarking that if an innocent person is wrongfully sentenced, the responsibility would lie with the lawyer on the Day of Judgment. The court asked the counsel whether he was seeking acquittal or commutation of the sentence to life imprisonment, and also raised questions regarding the identification parade.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court decided to commute the death sentences of the accused to life imprisonment.