Claim: Barrister Khadija Siddiqui’s attacker released after completing 5 years jail term

Fact: Khadija Siddiqui’s attacker was released without completing his jail term

The convict in Khadija Siddiqui stabbing case, Shah Hussain, was released from the Jail on 17 July, ARY News reported. As per the details he was released after completing his five years in jail term, which according to leading lawyers is not true.

RELATED STORIES

Karachi based lawyer Jibran Nasir while talking exclusively to The Current said that government needs to explain how and why Shah Hussain has been released without completing his five years sentence.

Explaining the case, Nasir said: “He [Shah Hussain] served 1.5 months in jail during trial and was then released on post arrest bail. Between conviction from trial court and acquittal from High Court, he served a little over 11 months in jail. Then post the Supreme Court decision overturning acquittal, he served 2.5 years. Total 3.5 years in jail.”

“The only ways for a convict to come out of jail before completion of sentence is either through remission of sentence which can be done by the provincial government, federal government or the President. But that doesn’t apply here. For the offence for which Shah Hussain was convicted [stabbing Khadija Siddiqui 23 times] i.e. PPC 324 and 337, the government cannot remit the sentence without consent of the victim i.e. Khadija,” he added.

“Second way is for a convict to be released on probation is for good behaviour, but that also doesn’t not apply to criminals convicted for Sec 324 and 337.”

Siddiqui was stabbed more than two dozen times on a busy Lahore street while she was picking her six-year-old sister Sofia Siddiqui from school on May 3, 2016.

A Lahore judicial magistrate had handed down seven-year rigorous imprisonment to Hussain after finding him guilty of attempted murder on July 29, 2017.

However, a sessions court in March 2018 set aside the minor penalties of the convict and commuted the sentence to five years, out of which Shah Hussain was released after serving 3.5 years.

VERDICT: FALSE