KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has postponed the hearing of a petition seeking the disqualification of Jam Awais, a key accused in the Nazim Jokhio murder case, until November 8.
The election commission requested additional time from the court to prepare its response to the petition.
Advocate Wazir Khoso represented Jam Awais in court, arguing that the plea had become irrelevant following the dissolution of the provincial assembly. He emphasized that reconciliation is not a criminal act.
The petition was filed by Barrister Ali Tahir and named Jam Awais Gohram, Speaker Sindh Assembly, Chief Secretary Sindh, and the election commission as parties.
The petitioner claimed that “Jam Awais has paid Diyet (blood money) to the family of the deceased in the murder case,” but afterward, he was deemed untruthful and untrustworthy. The petitioner pointed out that the trial court had stated in its decision that the PPP MPA had confessed to his crime by paying Diyet. According to clause 53 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Diyet is considered a form of punishment.
The petitioner is seeking a court order for the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly to initiate a disqualification reference against Jam Awais, a member of the assembly, on the grounds of not being truthful and trustworthy. The petitioner asserts that he should be de-notified as a member of the house.
Jam Awais Gohram Jokhio, a PPP MPA, and his associates were implicated in October 2021 for the fatal assault of activist Nazim Jokhio, who attempted to prevent their foreign guests from engaging in the illegal hunting of the houbara bustard, an endangered species, in the Memon Goth area of Karachi.
The family of the deceased, Nazim Jokhio, filed an affidavit in court consenting to pardon Jam Awais and others involved in the high-profile murder case. The affidavit stated, “We have reached a compromise with the accused, and the court may acquit them,” according to Shireen Jokhio, the widow of Nazim Jokhio.
