Sarah Inam’s father, a Canadian national who was reportedly killed by her husband in Islamabad a year ago, complained on Sunday about the delay in judicial processes in his daughter’s murder case and demanded a swift trial.
Shahnawaz Amir, Sara’s husband and the son of prominent journalist Ayaz Amir, is the main accused in the case. On September 23, last year, he was detained for reportedly killing his wife at a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Shahzad Town, just a day after she arrived in the country from Dubai, where she had been working.
He was first remanded to police custody a day after his arrest, and his physical remand was repeatedly prolonged. While his father was ultimately released from the case, Shahnawaz was placed on judicial remand.
His mother, Sameena Shah, was given post-arrest release in November of last year, but on December 5, both Shahnawaz and his mother were indicted in the case.
Inamur Rahim, speaking at a press conference in Islamabad today with Shaukat Mukadam, the father of dead Noor Mukadam, said his daughter’s killing had been a year in the making.
“It was the most difficult year of my life.”
Rahim praised police officers for their efforts and support during the case process.
He did, however, blame the defence counsel for the delays in proceedings, which he claimed kept witnesses waiting. Rahim observed that lawyers were frequently either late or did not appear in court at all.
“We don’t know whether this was a deliberate act or if he [the defence counsel] was too busy to manage his time.”
Rahim stated that the defence attorney “always made up some excuse” and was never found when the hearing date arrived, and that other witnesses came to court to record their statements but left without being heard.
He decried the fact that a “open and shut case” had been stretched out for an entire year.
Shaukat Mukadam, who sat alongside Rahim, urged Pakistan’s Chief Justice to take note of the Sarah Inam murder and other similar cases. He advocated for expedited trials and “exemplary punishments” for those found guilty.
“This is a very serious case, and gender-based violence must be stopped.” There is only one way… until there is punishment, guys from powerful families will believe they are beyond the law, so a message must be delivered that no one is above the law,” he stated.
Shaukat went on to say that the message will not be sent until “five to six depraved people are hanged.”
He demanded that the family of Sarah Inam be given justice at all levels of the legal system.
During the press conference, Shaukat also highlighted the Noor Mukadam murder trial and broke down in tears as he recalled the difficulties he encountered.
The Case
On the complaint of Shahzad Town Station House Officer (SHO) Nawazish Ali Khan at the Chak Shahzad police station in September 2022, a first information report (FIR) was launched for the murder, initially under Section 302 (penalty for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Later, police amended the FIR to include Section 109 of the PPC (penalty for abetment if the act assisted is committed in consequence and no specific provision is provided for its punishment) and charged Shahnawaz’s parents, Sameena, and senior journalist Ayaz Amir.
The development arose after Sarah’s uncle submitted a police report stating that Shahnawaz murdered Sarah in collusion with his parents.
According to the FIR, SHO Khan was on Park Road near Chatha Bakhtawar when he learned about the murder.
According to the FIR, when the police team arrived at the farmhouse where the murder occurred, they were greeted by the mother of the primary suspect, who informed them that her son had “murdered his wife during a scuffle.”
According to the FIR, she told the cops that her son was still in the residence. The police were able to enter the house and detain the suspect, according to the report, who added that the suspect’s hands were “soaked in blood” at the time of his arrest.
During the investigation, the guy identified himself as Shahnawaz Amir and informed police that he killed his wife with a dumbbell and put her body in a bathtub in the bathroom, according to the report.
According to the FIR, police recovered the deceased’s body based on his statement, and a wound was discovered on the deceased’s skull. The police squad also retrieved the murder weapon, which was “hidden under a bed” in the house, according to the report.
Following that, the body was sent to the Poly Clinic for autopsy, and the murder weapon and Shahnawaz’s shirt were transferred for forensic examination.
