PAKISTAN. SC SEEKS AG’S EXPLANATION

April 29, 2008: a three member bench of the Pakistani Supreme Court directed the attorney general to report whether any legislation to convert the death sentence into life imprisonment was under consideration.
The court decided to keep all appeals in death sentence cases pending for the time being. The bench comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Ejaz-ul-Hassan and Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Yousaf issued the directive to the attorney general during the hearings in three separate petitions. Advocates Sardar Muhammad Siddique and Muhammad Zaman Bhatti appeared before the bench in separate petitions and informed the court of news reports about the proposed legislation to convert the death sentence into life imprisonment.
Attorney General Malik Muhammad Qayyum told the court that he was not aware of such legislation. The bench directed him to inform the court through a written statement whether such legislation was under consideration of the federal government. (Sources: The Post, 29/04/2008)