PESHAWAR: A local court on Saturday issued death warrant of a murder convict and fixed Dec 25 for his execution.

On April 23, 2008, the additional district and sessions judge No V of the same court had convicted DI Khan`s Amanullah Khan of killing lawyer Naseema and sentenced him to death.

The Peshawar High Court and the Supreme Court had rejected his appeals against death penalty on May 4, 2010 and November 10, 2010 respectively.

His mercy plea is pending with the country`s president.The judge issued death warrant under Section 381 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, ordering the relevant jail authorities to ensure that the convict is hanged by the neck until he is dead.

The convict is kept at the Haripur Central Prison but since the execution facility is not available there, he is likely to be shifted to Peshawar for action on his death warrant.

On Friday (December 19), two days after the prime minister lifted moratorium on death penalty, the superintendent of the Haripur jail had sent a letter to the Peshawar district judge requesting intervention for issuance of death warrant of the convict by the relevant trial court.

The jail superintendent said Amanullah Khan was convicted for the lawyer`s killing in 2008 and later, his appeals against the sentence were dismissed but the relevant trial court had yet to issue his `black line warrants`.

The judge forwarded the letter tothe ADSJ No V of the relevant court for necessary action.

Under the CrPC, the trial court has to issue `black line warrant`, commonly known as death warrant or black warrant, after a high court upholds the sentence of death penalty given to a convict. However, the relevant prison authorities normally act on the warrant after the prisoner exhausts all legal options, including appealing the sentence at the Supreme Court and filing mercy plea with the country`s president.

The last death sentence was executed at the Peshawar Central Prison on June 6, 2006 when a condemned prisoner, Mawas Khan from Sufaid Sung area of Peshawar, was hanged to death.

His death warrant was issued by the trial court on May 5, 2004.

As for DI Khan`s Amanullah Khan, he was convicted of shooting down noted lawyer and social activist from his own city, Naseema, on the premises of the local districtcourts. The gunman was taken into custody shortly after the murder. He later confessed to the crime in front of the trial court.

The convict had insisted the deceased was his wife but she was reluctant to declare in publicly and therefore, he 1(illed her.

However, the claim was refuted by the deceased during her lifetime.

She had alleged that Amanullah Khan was a blackmailer, who had been trying to grab her property.

The lawyer had also filed cases of forgery and fraud against him in local courts besides challenging her `fake` nikahnama, which, she claimed, was prepared by Amanullah Khan.

The Dera Ismail Khan Bar Association had condemned Naseema`s killing and decided that none of its members would represent the suspect in the courts of law.

For the reason, the trial of the case was shifted to Peshawar on the high court`s orders.