Shahzeb murder case: Govt to file review petition on Shahrukh Jatoi's acquittal

• AGP's Office says its opinion was not sought before acquitting Jatoi.
• AGP's Office says SC reached a conclusion that "deviates from judicial decisions related to terrorism".
• SC today acquitted death row inmate Shahrukh Jatoi.

ISLAMABAD: After the Supreme Court acquitted death row inmate Shahrukh Jatoi — the main accused in the high-profile murder case of Shahzeb Khan — the Attorney-General's Office has decided to file a review petition related to the decision.

In this regard, the AGP's Office Tuesday prepared a draft letter to convey its concerns to the apex court.  

Per the letter, the opinion of the Attorney-General's Office was not sought before acquitting Jatoi. It added that decisions related to such important constitutional matters should not be taken without consulting the AGP's Office.

The letter further said that after Jibran Nasir and other activists approached the SC against a Sindh High Court (SHC) ruling which set aside the death penalty for Jatoi and others convicted in the murder case, the AGP's Office had already declared that the matter was related to terrorism, adding that the decision of the SHC was a "violation of the SC's order.

The AGP's Office, in the letter, also said that in the decision of Jatoi's acquittal, the Supreme Court has reached a conclusion that deviates from the judicial decisions related to the crime of terrorism. 

Therefore, the case should be reviewed in view of the components of compromise, fasad-fil-arz (mischief on earth), and other matters. 

An Anti-Terrorism Court in 2013 awarded death sentences to Jatoi and Siraj Talpur for Shahzeb's murder, while life sentences were awarded to Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari.

However, on November 28, 2017, the murder case took a dramatic turn when SHC ordered a retrial, striking down the death penalty awarded to the convicts by the ATC and converting it into life imprisonment.

In its order, SHC stated that an act of revenge over personal enmity did not equate to an act of terrorism. They had then approached the Supreme Court against the sentences.

On December 23, 2017, Jatoi, the son of an influential feudal lord, and other defendants in Shahzeb's murder case were released from custody on bail after the deceased's father submitted an affidavit in support of the defendant's bail application.