LHC rejects appeal by man convicted of murdering American citizen in connection with property dispute
RAWALPINDI:
A division bench of the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court dismissed the appeal of Rizwan Habib, convicted of brutally murdering his ex-wife, American citizen Wajeeha Swati, over possession of valuable property and other assets worth around Rs 1 billion. at Morgah, Rawalpindi, and upheld his death sentence.
The court noted that the ex-husband had murdered his ex-wife in an extremely brutal manner and that there was complete evidence against him. The bench ruled that he was not entitled to any concession and should be hanged to death. After the verdict, the convict was moved to the death row in Adiala prison.
According to the details, Rizwan Habib had contracted a second marriage with Wajeeha Swati by luring her with promises of a profitable business venture. A few months later, their relationship deteriorated and the American citizen obtained a divorce.
Taking advantage of his stay in the US, the accused allegedly occupied his four kanal bungalow in Morgah and started transferring other plots in his name.
When the ex-wife approached the courts against him, the accused allegedly called her back to Pakistan on the pretext of a reconciliation agreement and return of all her property. But when she returned in October 2021, he murdered her that same night.
Her body was wrapped in a blanket and transported from Rawalpindi to Kohat, where it was buried in a pit dug in the yard of a house.
The accused later spread reports that the woman had gone missing and even filed a petition to get her cured. During an investigation by the Morgah police, he confessed to the murder after three months, which led to the recovery of the decomposed body from a village in Kohat.
Both Pakistani and US forensic laboratories confirmed the body’s identity as Wajeeha Swati.
A sessions court had awarded him the death sentence last year, but the high court ordered a retrial. Judge Afzal Majoka again awarded the death sentence, which was challenged in the High Court.
The appeal was dismissed by the Rawalpindi bench.
The High Court observed that the convict had committed a heinous crime and the death sentence was justified.
