FCCP rejects plea of death row convict imprisoned for 29 years

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2026) The Federal Constitutional Court has rejected a petition seeking the commutation of a death sentence to life imprisonment for a prisoner who has been incarcerated for the past 29 years.

During the hearing, the court questioned how it could intervene in the matter while a review petition remains pending in the Supreme Court. The counsel for the 80-year-old prisoner, Jahanzeb, argued that the review petition filed in the Supreme Court in 2005 has gone "missing."

The lawyer informed the court that prison authorities had written to the Supreme Court in 2020 to inquire about the status of the petition, but no response was received, and no record of the filing could be located. It was noted that the Supreme Court had upheld the death penalty in 2005, following which the review petition was filed, which remains unresolved to this day.

Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan observed during the proceedings that the current appeal was filed with a delay of 79 days.

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He stated that if a review petition is pending in the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court cannot intervene in the matter.

Jahanzeb Khan was arrested in 1997 in connection with a murder case in Mardan. The trial court handed down a death sentence in 2000, which was subsequently upheld throughout the appellate process.

The petitioner's counsel argued that due to the lack of response from the Supreme Court regarding the pending review, the current petition was filed to seek the commutation of the sentence. Justice Ali Baqar Najafi remarked that it would be more appropriate to pursue the case before the Supreme Court, where the prisoner could potentially find relief.

The Chief Justice further noted that there were contradictions between the reasons cited for the delay in the current petition and the record, adding that such a significant delay could not be overlooked. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court dismissed the petition.