Karachi Court Hands Double Death Sentence in Murder of BOL News Anchor Mureed Abbas
Seven-year trial concludes as Atif Zaman is convicted for the murders of BOL News anchor Mureed Abbas and businessman Khizar Hayat; court issues permanent arrest warrants for absconding co-accused Adil Zaman.
Mureed Abbas, a BOL News anchor and husband of Abb Takk News anchor Zaara Abbas, was killed in July 2019 in a case linked to a financial dispute that shocked Pakistan’s media community.
KARACHI, July 9: A Karachi court on Thursday sentenced Atif Zaman to two death penalties after convicting him in the 2019 murders of BOL News anchor Mureed Abbas and businessman Khizar Hayat, bringing to an end a trial that lasted nearly seven years.
The verdict was delivered by a court established inside the Judicial Complex Jail in Karachi. The court also issued permanent arrest warrants for absconding co-accused Adil Zaman, who remains at large.
Mureed Abbas, 34, a prominent television anchor with BOL News, and businessman Khizar Hayat, 45, were shot dead on July 9, 2019, in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). According to the prosecution, the murders stemmed from a financial and business dispute.
A criminal case was registered at Darakhshan Police Station against Atif Zaman and Adil Zaman. During the proceedings, the court observed that Adil Zaman absconded after the Supreme Court revoked his bail and had already been declared a proclaimed offender by the trial court.
In September 2020, the Supreme Court of Pakistan cancelled Adil Zaman’s bail and directed law enforcement authorities to arrest him immediately. However, he escaped from the court premises following the order and has remained a fugitive ever since.
The application seeking cancellation of Adil Zaman’s bail was filed by Zaara Abbas, an anchor with Abb Takk News and the widow of Mureed Abbas. She argued that crucial evidence had been overlooked when relief was granted to the co-accused. According to the prosecution, Adil Zaman was present at the crime scene when Atif Zaman allegedly opened fire, killing both Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat.
The murder of Mureed Abbas sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s media community in 2019. At the time, the Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) reported the incident and documented the condemnation expressed by journalists’ organisations, which called for a swift investigation and accountability for those responsible.
.
