HYDERABAD: An antiterrorism court in Khairpur remanded on Wednesday Ms Hina Shah, her husband and her father in police and judicial custody for eight days in nine-year-old housemaid Fatima Furro’s murder case.

Ms Hina Shah had surrendered to police on Tuesday. Her husband, Asad Shah and father Fayyaz Shah have already been arrested.

According to Ranipur police station SHO, Bachal Qazi, the ATC remanded Asad Shah and his father-in-law Fayyaz Shah in police custody for eight days in separate FIRs.

Asad Shah was remanded in police custody under FIR No126/23 which was the main murder case while Hina Shah, his wife, was remanded in judicial custody in the same case.

Fayyaz Shah was remanded in police custody for eight days on expiry of his previous four days remand. He was arrested under the second case lodged after the main murder case against his son-in-law and daughter for threatening the complainant of the case, media and police officials in order to influence investigation of the case, which had also been lodged under section 6/7 ATA in addition to PPC provisions.

He was granted protective bail by Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit bench in the main case but Ranipur police booked him in the second case. He was produced before ATC Khairpur accordingly. On Tuesday he was produced in SHC Hyderabad circuit bench, which disposed of his bail application as well as contempt of court charges filed by his counsel, Wali Mohammad Khoso against police officers.

Senate committee to hear Fatima case

Senate’s standing committee on human rights will hold a hearing on the Fatima Furro murder case in Islamabad on Thursday.

According to Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) chairperson Iqbal Detho, the committee’s agenda contained Fatima Furro murder case and secretary of human rights, chairperson of National Commission on Rights of Child, Inspector General of Police Sindh and Secretary of Social Welfare Department would brief the committee members on the Fatima murder case.

CTD Sukkur DSP Abdul Qudoos Kalwar, investigating officer of the case, said that Sukkur DIG Abdul Hameed Khoso and Gambat ASP Noman Zafar would also appear before the committee in Islamabad.

Fatima died in mysterious circumstances in Fayyaz Shah’s mansion in Ranipur on Aug 14. Later, her body was exhumed under a judicial order as she had been buried without a post-mortem.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2023