Twenty-eight-year-old Wali Khan Babar was gunned down in Liaquatabad area of Karachi on January 13, 2011, when he was returning home from the office. Photo: file

 

KARACHI: Geo Television journalist Wali Khan Babar?s seventh death anniversary is being observed today (Saturday). 

Twenty-eight-year-old Wali Khan Babar was gunned down in Liaquatabad area of Karachi on January 13, 2011, when he was returning home from the office. 

According to Committee to Protect Journalists, "Babar was shot shortly after his story on gang violence aired on the country's most widely watched broadcaster, Geo TV." 

Later in the year, police said that at least 17 men were involved in the murder plot. 

Several witnesses in the murder case have been killed including a police informant, two police constables, and the brother of an investigating officer. 

SHC to rehear Faisal Mota?s appeal against death sentence in Wali Babar murder case

The court will conduct further hearing of the appeal on September 21

"One of the constables, Asif Rafiq, was on the scene when Babar was murdered and had identified the plotters' vehicle. On November 10, 2012, two gunmen aboard a motorcycle killed Haidar Ali, the only remaining witness in the case, near his home in the Soldier Bazaar area of Karachi. He was due to testify in court two days later," according to CPJ. 

On August 18, 2017 the Sindh High Court announced to rehear the appeal against death sentence filed by Faisal Mehmood alias ?Mota? ? the main accused in 2011 murder case of Babar. 

The court also sought further assistance from the ?learned counsel for the appellant [Mota] as well as D.P.G [deputy prosecutor general]".

On March 1, 2014, an anti-terrorism court in Kandhkot had awarded death sentence to two suspects including Faisal Mota in absentia, and life imprisonment to four accused in the case.

Faisal Mota was arrested during a raid by the security forces at Nine-Zero, Karachi in 2015.