PAKISTAN: LHC SUSPENDS DEATH PENALTY OF TWO ACCUSED OF MURDER

a Lahore High Court Division Bench in Pakistan suspended the death penalty of two men accused of murder until August 3 after they filed a petition. Black warrants for the accused Shafaqat Ali and Muhammad Saeed had been issued according to which they were to be hanged today, their counsel Sardar Khurram Latif Khan Khosa said. Khosa said the court order was faxed to jail authorities. He told the bench of Justice Hasnat Ahmed Khan and Justice Kazim Ali Malik that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced the commuting of death sentences of all prisoners to life imprisonment on June 22. He added that the Supreme Court (SC) had also taken suo moto notice in this regard and no one could be hanged until the final decision of the suo moto notice. According to the prosecution, Shafaqat and Saeed were involved in a murder case registered at Mananwala Police Station of district Sheikhupura.