KARACHI - The Sindh High Court on Monday admitted an appeal for regular hearing moved by two convicts who were found involved in killing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zohra Shahid, and issued notice to the prosecution general Sindh for the next date to be fixed later.

Convicts Rashid Tailor and Zahid Abbas Zaidi challenged the judgment announced on August 31 by Anti Terrorism Court (ATC-XVII) that convicted them and handed down death and other punishments to both the appellants. They were convicted for killing PTI leader Zohra Shahid in 2013.

A division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto issued notice to the prosecution and sought case file in the next date.

The trail court also imposed fines of Rs 200,000 each to the legal heirs of the deceased, in default of payment thereof, further undergo for six months.  

In its judgment, the court also found involved the accused Zahid Abbas for the offence of possessing illicit arms and sentenced him seven years in prison, the court has also imposed fine of Rs 50,000, in case of default in payment of fine he shall undergo further six months more.

In its judgment, the court also ordered for forfeiture of moveable and immoveable properties of accused persons to the extent of Rs500,000 each.

However, the court acquitted two accused Irfan and Kaleem due to lack of evidence.  According to the prosecution, Zohar Shahid was attacked outside her Defence Housing Authority residence on May 17, 2013 on the eve of NA-250 re-polling. The killing stoked tension with the PTI accusing the MQM-L of orchestrating the murder.

Four accused Mohammad Rashid alias Master, Zahid Abbas Zaidi, Irfan alias Lamba and Kaleem said to be associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) along with their absconding accomplices have been charged with killing the PTI leader on the eve of re-polling on Karachi’s National Assembly constituency, NA-250.

In their final arguments, the defence counsel had argued that their clients were innocent, having nothing to do with the offence alleged.

The police claimed to have arrested Rashid in an illicit weapons case on Sept 25, 2013.

The prosecution claimed that during interrogations he had confessed to his involvement in the case of the PTI leader. Later, the police arrested Zahid Abbas Zaidi on Oct 2, 2013. Ms Shahid, a senior leader of the PTI, was shot dead outside her house in the Defence Housing Authority on May 18, 2013.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Gizri police station.