Saulat Mirza

Saulat Mirza ( born Saulat Ali Khan; 1971

In 1997, he was convicted of a triple murder and was awarded a death sentence for the targeted murder of Shahid Hamid, a bureaucrat and managing-director of KESC (now K-Electric), along with his driver Ashraf Brohi, and his guard Khan Akbar, all of whom were killed in the neighborhood of Defence Housing Authority, Karachi on the 5 July 1997.

In 2013, his family submitted another application to President of Pakistan for clemency which was also rejected. Upon hearing the execution news, his family began pleading his case, where his wife and sisters held multiple press conferences, demanding a re-investigation.

After rejecting the second and final appeal for clemency Mirza was executed on 12 May 2015 at the supermax facility, the Central Jail Macch, Balochistan, Pakistan.

Early life and education Saulat Mirza was born as Saulat Ali Khan in Karachi and grew up in the rural Malir neighborhood in Karachi, Sindh in 1971. In his interrogation process, he confirmed his Geographical distribution of Urdu speakers background

After matriculating from a local school, Mirza initially enrolled for pre-medical degree but instead ended up getting intermediate diploma in Commerce from Pakistan Shipowners College.

Mirza was described as young good looking and attractive person and a devoted worker of the MQM. At one time, Mirza was a major figure in the militant wing of the MQM, running several death cells.

He was accused of coordinating the murders of six U.S. nationals in Shahrah-e-Faisal in Karachi, but he denied involvement in the killing of two US diplomats and four U.S. nationals of an American Oil Company in the city in 1994. Since then, the FIA and the intelligence community had him under strict surveillance. Although, Mirza did admit to killing a number of people, including a Pakistani employee of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 1995. He reportedly escaped to Bangkok and only returned to Karachi 2 weeks after his mother's death on 10 December 1998. A day later, on 11 December 1998, Mirza was arrested from the Jinnah Terminal in a sting operation led by CID officer Aslam Khan and was described as a "prize catch." Mirza's wife later testified that he was in contact with Altaf Hussain just before arrest, though the MQM denied the charge.

In May 1999, the Anti-Terrorist Court awarded him a death sentence for the triple-murder case of MD of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Shahid Hamid, his driver Ashraf Brohi and guard Akbar Khan.

In June 2018, he was transferred supermax facility, the Central Jail Macch in Balochistan, and was placed in the Death Cell after his mercy plea was rejected by Sindh High Court and President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain.

The Anti-Terrorism court issued the black warrant on 12 March against Mirza to be executed on 19 March 2015 in the early morning at Machh Jail Baluchistan. His sister filed another petition in Supreme Court seeking delay in execution but two-Judge bench turned down her appeal.

A few hours before Mirza's scheduled execution a video tape was released on Electronic Media of Mirza's confession, in which he accused MQM of ordering him to perform the crime. The MQM chief Altaf Hussain denied having met with Saulat and said there was no evidence, but instead claimed a conspiracy against MQM.

Execution and burial The execution originally scheduled for 19 March 2015 was deferred for 72 hours. On 12 May 2015 at 4:30 a.m., Saulat Mirza was hanged till death at Machh Jail in Baluchistan, Pakistan. His body was flown from Quetta to Karachi via PIA flight.

Mirza's last prayers and ceremony were performed in Karachi and he was laid to rest at Muhammad Shah graveyard, North Karachi, which was attended by his close friends, family members and neighbours.