LHC rejects appeal of man convicted of murdering US citizen over real estate dispute
RAWALPINDI:
A division bench of the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court has rejected the appeal of Rizwan Habib, convicted of the brutal murder of his estranged wife, US citizen Wajeeha Swati, for possessing valuable property and other assets worth around Rs 1 billion in Morgah, Rawalpindi, and upheld his death sentence.
The court observed that the ex-husband had murdered his ex-wife in an extremely brutal manner and complete evidence was available against him. The court ruled that he was not entitled to any concessions and should be hanged until he died. Following the verdict, the convict was transferred to the death cell of Adiala jail.
According to details, Rizwan Habib had entered into a second marriage with Wajeeha Swati by luring her with the promise of a profitable business. A few months later, their relationship deteriorated and the American citizen obtained a divorce.
Taking advantage of her stay in the United States, the accused allegedly occupied her four-kanal bungalow in Morgah and started transferring other plots in her name.
When the estranged wife approached the courts against him, the accused allegedly called her back to Pakistan under the pretext of a reconciliation deal and restitution of all her property. However, upon his return in October 2021, he murdered her that same night.
His body was wrapped in a carpet and transported from Rawalpindi to Kohat, where he was buried in a pit dug in the courtyard of a house.
The accused then spread news that the woman was missing and even filed a petition seeking her recovery. During an investigation by the Morgah police, he confessed to the murder after three months, leading to the recovery of the decomposed body from a village in Kohat.
Pakistani and American forensic laboratories confirmed the identity of the body as that of Wajeeha Swati.
A magistrate court handed him the death sentence last year, but the High Court ordered a retrial on the merits. Justice Afzal Majoka again imposed the death sentence, which was challenged in the High Court.
The appeal was rejected by the Rawalpindi court.
The High Court held that the convict had committed a heinous crime and the death penalty was justified.
