File photo of Shahnawaz Amir
A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday sentenced Shahnawaz Amir to death and imposed a fine of Rs. 1 million—to be paid to Sarah’s family—after finding him guilty of the murder of his wife, Sarah Inam.
Announcing the verdict reserved on Dec. 9, Sessions Judge Nasir Javaid Rana said Shahnawaz’s mother, Samina Shah, was acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence. A co-accused, Shah was indicted in the case in December 2022. Spanning more than a year, the proceedings of the case were conducted by three judges, including Judges Muhammad Atta Rabbani and Azam Khan.
Shahnawaz, the son of prominent journalist Ayaz Amir, murdered Sarah, a Pakistani-Canadian, in Islamabad last September. She was reportedly killed after being struck in the head with a dumbbell just a day after she returned to Pakistan from Dubai, where she was working as an economist.
Following her killing, Shahnawaz was arrested on Sept. 23, 2022 from a farmhouse in Islamabad. Initially remanded to police custody for a day after his arrest, the court extended his physical remand several times. His father and mother were also arrested, but Amir was discharged from the case, while Shah was granted post-arrest bail in November last year before being indicted that December alongside her son.
During proceedings, Investigation Officer Habibur Rehman testified that Shahnawaz had confessed to the crime.
Addressing media after the verdict was announced, Sarah’s father Inaumur Rahim said he was satisfied with the sentence awarded to Shahnawaz, but expressed disappointment at Shah’s acquittal. “At least the convict will go to jail and will be hanged,” he said. “But we suspect Samina also played a part in the murder and she should be punished,” he added, noting she had been at the farmhouse the night his daughter was murdered.