KARACHI: A district court in Karachi has sentenced the main accused, Atif Zaman, to two death penalties in the murder case of television anchor Murad Abbas and his friend Khizar Hayat, delivering its verdict seven years after the killings.
The judgment was announced by the Additional District and Sessions Court (South), which was operating from the Judicial Complex Jail. After finding Atif Zaman guilty, the court awarded him two separate death sentences.
The court also ordered the convict to pay compensation of Rs500,000 each to the families of both victims.
In addition, Atif Zaman was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rs50,000 for possessing illegal weapons.
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The court also issued permanent arrest warrants for absconding co-accused Adil Zaman and directed that legal proceedings against him remain in effect.
Adil Zaman had gone into hiding after the Supreme Court rejected his bail application. He was subsequently declared a proclaimed offender by the trial court.
Anchor Murad Abbas and his friend Khizar Hayat were killed on July 9, 2019.
