Supreme Court rejects eye-closure evidence in double-murder case

In Islamabad, a Supreme Court bench led by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar dismissed petitions filed by Azmat Ullah alias Motu and Muhammad Luqman alias Gona, who were convicted of a 2011 double murder. The petitioners claimed that the open eyes recorded in post-mortem and inquest reports proved the killings were not witnessed, relying on customary practices of closing a deceased’s eyes. Justice Salahuddin Panhwar clarified that the Qanun-i-Shahadat Order of 1984 imposes no legal duty to close eyes, describing the act as religious and customary.

The court emphasized that physiological processes, trauma responses, and handling of bodies can leave eyes open, and that such a detail cannot be used to infer the presence or absence of witnesses. It affirmed the convictions under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code and maintained the Lahore High Court’s decision to reduce the death penalties to life terms.