Sarah Inam murder case: Court approves further physical remand of prime suspect Shahnawaz

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district and sessions court granted further physical remand for three days of prime suspect Shahnawaz Amir in the murder case of his wife Sarah Inam.

Shahnawaz, who is also the son of senior journalist Ayaz Amir, was presented in the court of civil judge Amir Uzair on Monday.

The investigating officer told the court that the passport of the deceased is to be re-covered, saying it is major evidence as it can reveal her travel history.

The plaintiff's lawyer told the court that Sarah Inam was killed in Shahnawaz's house and that if the victim's passport is not recovered within 14 days of the murder, the suspect could get away.

The judge remarked that the investigation should not spoil the case.

The Islamabad Police requested for another three-day physical remand of Shahnawaz, which the court granted.

Court extends interim bail of Shahnawaz's mother

Earlier, a district and sessions court extended the interim bail plea of Shahawaz's mother, Sameena Shah, till October 7.

At the outset of the hearing, Sameena appeared before the court with her lawyer, Arsal Amjad Hashmi, while Advocate Rao Abdur Raheem represented Sarah's father.

Advocate Raheem said that Sarah's family doesn't want to involve any innocent person in the case. He said that the defence should be given more time to present whatever they want to as evidence of non-involvement in the matter.

At this, the court adjourned the hearing till October 7, extending Sameena's bail till then.

The case

Senior journalist Ayaz Amir's son Shahnawaz allegedly killed his wife Sarah at home after a row over a family issue on September 23.

Shahnawaz — who was detained by the police from a farmhouse in Islamabad's Chak Shahzad area for being a suspect in his wife's murder — confessed to committing the crime and said that he "thought" his spouse was having an affair with someone else. 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. However, the court granted Sameena an interim pre-arrest and directed her to join the probe, while Ayaz Amir was discharged from the case on the basis of "no evidence" against him in the murder.

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.