Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday sought report about mental illness of schizophrenic prisoner Khizar Hayat by January 14 on an appeal of his mother for suspension of his execution. Hearing public interest cases, Chief Justice Nisar said he read in an English daily that a mentally ill prisoner was going to the executed. The Chief Justice directed the law officer for verifying whether the condemned prisoner was mentally ill. The CJP observed that the matter involved basic human rights and needed to be heard on urgent basis.

District and Sessions Judge Lahore had issued death warrant of Hayat and set January 15 for his execution at Kot Lakhpat jail.

Sentenced to death in 2003 over shooting a fellow police officer, Hayat has spent nearly 15 years on death row. Hayat was first diagnosed as a schizophrenic in 2008 by jail medical authorities. He suffers from delusions and has to be heavily medicated.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019