A Karachi court on Thursday sentenced Atif Zaman to death twice after convicting him in the 2019 murder case of television anchor Mureed Abbas and businessman Khizr Hayat, bringing a seven-year-long trial to a close.
The Additional District and Sessions Court announced its long-awaited verdict in the double murder case after nearly seven years of legal proceedings.
The court found Atif Zaman guilty of murdering Mureed Abbas and Khizr Hayat and awarded him two death sentences.
It also issued permanent arrest warrants for absconding co-accused Adil Zaman.
2019 murder case
According to the prosecution, Mureed Abbas and Khizr Hayat were shot dead on July 9, 2019, following a business dispute.
A case was subsequently registered against brothers Atif Zaman and Adil Zaman at Darakhshan Police Station in Karachi.
Co-accused remains absconder
Prosecutors told the court that Adil Zaman fled after the Supreme Court rejected his bail application.
The trial court later declared him a proclaimed offender, and he remains at large.
