KARACHI — Exactly seven years after the brazen shooting that shook the media community, a Karachi sessions court on Thursday sentenced the prime suspect, Atif Zaman, to death on two counts for the 2019 murders of television anchorperson Mureed Abbas and his business partner Khizer Hayat.
The final verdict concludes a lengthy legal saga that began on the night of July 9, 2019, in Karachi’s upscale Khayaban-i-Bukhari neighborhood.
Key Verdict Details
- Capital Punishment: Prime suspect Atif Zaman was awarded the death sentence on two separate counts for the premeditated murders.
- The Victims: Mureed Abbas, a well-known anchorperson for Bol News, and his close friend and business partner, Khizer Hayat.
- Absconding Accomplice:The convict’s brother and co-accused, Adil Zaman, has been officially declared an absconder by the court after fleeing the country following the cancellation of his bail by the Supreme Court.
مرید عباس کے قتل کے مرکزی ملزم کو سزائے موت: گولیوں کے خول، فون ریکارڈ اور سی سی ٹی وی نے قتل کیسے ثابت کیا؟https://t.co/Q8mnultbcG
— BBC News اردو (@BBCUrdu) July 9, 2026
From Financial Dispute to Double Homicide
The tragic incident stems from a severe financial dispute linked to a multi-million rupee fraudulent investment scheme run by the Zaman brothers, in which both Abbas and Hayat were stakeholders. On the night of the incident, Abbas was lured to an office space where he was shot dead. Hayat was subsequently targeted nearby, sustaining two lethal bullet wounds, and later succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital.
Initially registered under terrorism charges, the case underwent complex legal maneuvering. In October 2019, an anti-terrorism court ruled that the targeted killings did not fall within the legal definitions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, subsequently transferring the trial to a regular sessions court for a criminal homicide trial.
Daniyal Muhammad Hussain, a member of the legal team representing Abbas’s widow, confirmed that the family has finally secured justice after seven years of intense litigation, though law enforcement agencies remain on high alert to track down the fugitive co-accused, Adil Zaman.
