KARACHI: Jail authorities on Tuesday formally halted ‘underage’ convict Shafqat Hussain’s execution for another 30 days.
On the orders of the Interior Ministry, the prison administration in Karachi informed the anti-terrorism court (ATC) about the postponement today.
The death warrant for his execution was supposed to be issued today with a new date.
On March 20, the Interior Ministry had sent a request to halt his death penalty for 30 days.
On the eve of the scheduled execution, President Mamnoon Hussain late on Wednesday ordered to postpone the hanging upon appeals forwarded to him by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and Sindh Home Minister Sharjeel Memon.
Shafqat, aged 14 at that time, had allegedly murdered a child in 2001 and was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in 2004. Mercy appeals for Shafqat were rejected by the high court in 2006, Supreme Court in 2007 and the presidency in 2012.