The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the president to stay the execution of Syed Saqi Shah who is scheduled to be hanged on Wednesday (today). In a statement issued on Tuesday, the commission said, “Yet another case of a murder convict who is reported to have been a minor at the time of occurrence has come to light. It is reported that Syed Saqi Shah who was sentenced to death for a 1992 case of sectarian strife in Jhang was only 16 at the time the crime was allegedly committed. His age is said to have been confirmed through a school certificate. Since this claim needs to be confirmed prudence demands that the hanging of Syed Saqi Shah may be put off by the President till his age at the time of the occurrence and correctness of the trial can be established beyond any shadow of doubt.”
