Action initiated against false witnesses: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed on Wednesday that they had initiated process of taking strict action against people giving false testimonies in criminal cases and asked why all these things could not be examined in the lower courts.

The Supreme Court (SC) while initiating action against witnesses giving false testimonies summoned on February 22 one witness from Sahiwal who had given false testimony in a murder case.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa heard an appeal of a person against the verdict of the high court. The court summoned Muhammad Arshad who allegedly gave false testimony in the case.

The trial court had awarded death sentence to accused Zor Awar for killing an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mazhar Hussain while the high court had awarded him seven-year imprisonment.

During the hearing, the chief justice expressed surprise over the decision of the trial court, awarding death sentence based on false testimonies as well as the verdict of the high court giving life imprisonment to the accused.

The CJP observed that despite the fact that all other witnesses in the instant case had stated they did not witness any fire, why the trial court as well as the high court did not examine the facts. The chief justice noted that the prime witness was police witness, adding that the way the witness Arshad volunteered to become a witness, he should also voluntarily be imprisoned.

The apex court acquitted the accused after seven-year prison term on the benefit of doubt and directed CPO, Faisalabad to produce Muhammad Arshad before it on February 22.