A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday extended the physical remand of Shahnawaz Amir – the main suspect in the Sara Inam murder case – for three days.
According to details, the police presented Shahnawaz Amir – who is the son of senior journalist Ayaz Amir – before the sessions court of civil judge Muhammad Amir Aziz and sought a three-day extension in physical remand.
During the hearing, the investigation officer (IO) told court that Sara Imam’s passport had still not been recovered. “The passport is “major evidence” as it would show Sara’s travel history,” he added.
The lawyer of the complainants maintained that Sara was murdered in Shahnawaz’s house. “The suspect would get away if the police failed to recover Sara’s passport even 14 days after the murder,” the lawyer added.
After hearing the arguments, the judge subsequently extended Shahnawa’z physical remand for another three days.
Meanwhile, a district and sessions court in Islamabad extended the interim bail of Shahnawaz’s mother Sameena till Oct 7 (Friday). At the outset of the hearing, Sameena appeared before the court with her lawyer, Arsal Amjad Hashmi.
Rao Abdul Rahim, the counsel for the Sara’s father, stated the family had said they did not want to involve an “innocent person” in the case.
“The family should be given more time to furnish proof of their defence,” Rahim told the court, adding that he also had to go over some evidence in this regard. Following the arguments, the court extended Sameena’s interim bail.
Shahnawaz was arrested for allegedly killing his Canadian national wife. The incident took place at a farmhouse located in Shahzad Town where the suspect lived along with his mother.
On September 27, District Session Court Islamabad acquitted journalist Ayaz Amir in the murder case of his daughter-in-law Sara Inam by his Shahnawaz Amir.
There is no evidence about Ayaz Amir’s involvement in the murder, the judge said.
The police demanded five-day custody of Ayaz Amir to further investigate the murder. However, his lawyer argued that the police has not yet provided a legitimate reason for arresting his client.
