ATC Karachi took up the murder case for hearing on Saturday.
During the course of hearing, former session judge Mithi Sikandar Lashari appeared before the court. Statements of more than 22 witnesses were recorded in the case and court handed down death sentence to Sikandar Lashari after his crime was proved. .
It is vital to mention here that there was a family dispute among the former session judge Mithi Sikandar Lashari and session judge Jacob Abad while session judge Mithi had killed son of session judge Jacob Abad on February19, 2014.
Former sessions judge Mithi was brought from Hyderabad jail and presented in the court
Hyderabad Police have arrested a sessions judge in an honour killing case in which the son of another sessions judge was murdered.The mobile phone record of the accused played a key role in arresting the criminals.
Police reached the alleged killers in the murder case of the son of Sessions Judge Jacobabad Khalid Shahani, through the record of cell phone calls, The News has learnt.Aqib aka Kashif Shahani, a 19-year old student of law at a private institute of Karachi, son of a sitting district and sessions judge Jacobabad, Khalid Hussain Shahani, was gunned down in Hyderabad on February 19, when he was driving his car along with his family members on their way home in Qasimabad, Hyderabad.
Police have now arrested the Sessions Judge, Mithi, Sikandar Lashari, his cook Malook Rahmon and gunman, while two accused Barkat Lashari and Abbas Sial are absconding in Aqib Shahani’s murder case.
Family members and friends of the deceased claimed that it was a case of honour killing, as according to them Aqib was in love with Judge Lashari’s daughter but the judge was allegedly opposed to their marriage.
According to well placed sources of Hyderabad Police, all the evidence shows the involvement of Session Judge Sikandar Lashari who, it is said, has also confessed his connection to the crime, sources claimed.
According to these sources, Hyderabad Police had got the record of cell phone conversations of Judge Lashari and the alleged killers Barkat Lashari and Abbas Sial, in which they were directed by the judge to kill Aqib. A new SIM was purchased by Judge Lashari through his clerk and was used for this conversation, sources added.
The sources said that the mother and sisters of the deceased Aqib have also identified the pictures of alleged killer Abbas Sial and Barkat Lashari. Police are now trying to arrest the other two accused, Barkat and Abbas, and very soon the final charge sheet against the accused will be presented in the court.
At the time of this tragic incident the victim’s mother, two sisters and cousin were also present in the car and saw the whole scene.Earlier, the Sindh High Court chief justice ordered the removal of Sikandar Lashari for his alleged involvement in the murder. The CJ also directed the police to interrogate Sikandar Lashari.
Deceased Aqib Shahani’s mother, Shamsunissa and sisters, Komal and Nimra, filed an application in the Sindh High Court on February 26, requesting the court to allow prosecution of Lashari.The court suspended Lashari on March 3 and granted permission for his interrogation.
Heirs of Aqib Shahani in a statement recorded with the police had stated that the deceased loved the daughter of Sikandar Lashari who is now in police custody on physical remand granted by Anti-Terrorism Court Hyderabad. The FIR of the incident was registered at the GOR police station on the complaint of Hunain Shahani, a cousin of the deceased, who was also present in the car when the incident occurred. This is only the second time in the history of Sindh that a district and sessions judge has been arrested.
Earlier, in 1974, a district and session judge of Sanghar, Owais Murtaza, was arrested for granting bail to Hurs, the followers of Pir Pagara. His arrest was considered on the orders of government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the judge was released after lawyers protested.
But this time Judge Lashari did not have any support from the lawyers. Investigation officer of the case, DSP Rozi Khan Almani, told The News that there are some developments and he had got some evidence also but at this stage it could not be shared with the media.
