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Islamabad court indicts Shahnawaz Amir, Sameena Shah in Sarah Inam murder case

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  • Shahnawaz Amir and Sameena Shah have pleaded not guilty to crime. 
  • Court asks prosecution to summon witnesses on Dec 14.
  • Indictment issued after Sameena Shah’s plea seeking dismissal from case was rejected.

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad Monday indicted Shahnawaz Amir, the main accused, and his mother Sameena Shah in the Sarah Inam Murder case.

The indictment order was issued by judge Atta Rabbani after he dismissed Sameena’s application seeking to be discharged from the case. The judge had earlier today reserved the verdict on her plea.

Both the accused have pleaded not guilty to the crime, while the court has asked the prosecution to summon the witnesses on December 14.

Shahnawaz’s mother files plea to get discharged from case

When the court took up the case today, it heard Shah’s application requesting it to discharge her from the murder case.

Sameena Shah’s lawyer, Nasir Asghar, told the court that the police wrote in its challan that his client was found at the crime scene but did not mention her involvement.

“When the prosecution’s case is not against her then she should be discharged from the case,” Asghar told the court. He added that the court will have to make its final opinion after looking at the challan.

Shah’s lawyer also told the court that when the police arrived at the crime scene she handed her son to the law enforcement agency.

“The only reason given is that the plaintiff is insisting [on adding her name],” said the lawyer. He added that apart from this there was nothing against his client.

At this point, the court adjourned the hearing after the lawyer of Inam ur Rehman, Sarah’s father, could not reach the court.

Once the lawyer arrived, the hearing was resumed.

The lawyer told the court that they agree that when Sarah came to the farmhouse the three of them — the victim and both accused — had dinner together in the evening. He added that it was also mentioned in the police record that Sarah came there after the divorce.

“What happened when these three people sat together that evening?” asked the lawyer. He added that the divorce between the couple happened two days before the murder and the CCTV cameras also stopped working the same day.

The lawyer also told the court that Shah’s counsel had said that the murder happened at 9:00am but the postmortem was suggesting something else.

“According to their information, even if the incident happened at 9:00am, the post-mortem is telling something else,” the lawyer contended.

The DVR has been seized by the police and sent for forensics, the lawyer said. He added that in the investigation it was found that Ayaz Amir, who was discharged, reported the crime to the police.

Who was Sarah Inam?

Sarah Inam, 37, was a Canadian national and a successful economist who worked with Deloitte and USAID at different points of her career. She was married to Shahnawaz for just three months before being murdered.

She had a masters degree from the University of Waterloo and was currently employed in the government sector in the United Arab Emirates, as per friends and family.

Sarah is survived by her father, mother and two elder brothers.

The case

After the incident on September 23, Shahnawaz was detained by the police from a farmhouse in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad area for being a suspect in his wife’s murder and later confessed to killing her, saying he “thought” his spouse was having an affair. The couple was married for just three months.

Next day, a trial court approved the arrest warrants of Ayaz Amir and his former wife Sameena Shah, as the two were nominated as suspects by Sarah’s family. Amir was arrested while his former wife later acquired pre-arrest bail.

In the police report registered following the murder, an additional clause of Section 109 (punishment for abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code was added at the request of Sarah’s uncles — Colonel (retd) Ikram and Zia-ur-Rahim — who have blamed Ayaz Amir and his former wife for their niece’s murder.

The petitioners maintained that Sameena was living at the farmhouse where Sarah was murdered.

However, during a hearing on September 27, an Islamabad court discharged Ayaz Amir from the case citing “no evidence” against him in Sarah’s murder. 

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Business

Minister of Finance Reaffirms Unwavering Support for APM Terminals Group in Effort to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation

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Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s Minister of Finance, has promised the APM Terminals Group his full support in creating an environment that is both business-friendly and conducive to investment.

In Islamabad, he met with a group of APM terminals who had come to hear him speak. Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals, was in charge of the group.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, a senator from Pakistan, expressed his approval of APM Terminals’ investment plans.

Following last month’s signing of a memorandum of agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation, the meeting’s emphasis was on the actions taken to date.

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Meeting with Ch. Shujat, Mohsin Naqvi promises to eradicate Pakistan’s terrorism problem.

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Mohsin Naqvi, the federal interior minister, visited Quaid-E-Azam Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League, at his home in Islamabad.

Mohsin Naqvi and Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain condolenced with the martyrs’ families and denounced the Quetta explosion.

The government’s unwavering commitment to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan at all costs was reaffirmed by Moshin Naqvi. The government supports the martyrs’ families, he said.

In honor of the martyrs of the Quetta blast, he declared that new buildings will be named in Islamabad.

Mohsin Naqvi was also congratulated by Shujaat Hussain on Pakistan’s victory against Australia in the ODI series.

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The Hajj Policy 2025 is formally announced by the federal government.

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The official announcement, which included important revisions from the Hajj Policy 2025, was reportedly given by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

The government and private programs will split the Hajj quota evenly, with each receiving 50%, according to Hajj Policy 2025. Furthermore, it is policy that minors under the age of twelve will not be permitted to perform the Hajj this year.

The Hajj Policy 2025 further states that if a pilgrim dies, their family will be reimbursed with Rs 2 million, and similarly, pilgrims who are hurt will also receive compensation.

The new installment-based Hajj fee payment scheme was adopted by the Hajj Policy 2025, giving first-time pilgrims preference. However, people with severe or communicable diseases will not be permitted to attend this year.

In introducing the proposal, Chaudhry Salik stressed that measures will be taken to avoid lowering the limit. General pilgrims will receive any quota that is left over from the sponsored program. Additionally, there is a specific quota of 5,000 for Pakistanis living abroad.

In accordance with the guideline, the cost of the Hajj will stay between Rs1.075 million and Rs1.175 million, and pilgrims will shortly receive their Rs100,000 back.

Three installments are available for the Hajj fee under the Hajj Policy 2025: Rs. 250,000 at the time of application, Rs. 480,000 following the lottery, and the remaining amount prior to Hajj departure.

He said that if money is taken out prior to the application deadline, there will be no deductions made in terms of returns. After the lottery, however, if the first installment is reimbursed, Rs50,000 will be deducted; if the third installment is not paid, Rs200,000 will be deducted.

If a pilgrim decides not to go after February 10th, the remaining payment will not be reimbursed; however, the deductions listed above will not be applicable if the applicant dies.

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