An inmate from Gujranwala who was sentenced to death became a lawyer while awaiting a decision on his appeal against the sentence.
According to details, Rai Muhammad Ayaz walked out of the jail as a free man six months ago after Lahore High Court (LHC) overturned his death sentence and he has been practicing law since then.
Speaking in this regard, Ayaz said that he was booked in a “fake murder case” when he was only 18. He was sent to jail after a district court handed him a death sentence.
Because he was already a bright student and knew that he was indicted wrongfully, Ayaz decided to continue his education from behind bars as it was the only way to avoid bad company in the prison.
It is worth mentioning here that prisoners in Pakistan are allowed to appear for academic examinations but only as private candidates.
Ayaz spent a total of eight years in jail, four of which were spent in the death cell. While he was awaiting a decision on his appeal, he first cleared BA exams and later received an MA degree in journalism.
After completing his Masters’ degree, Ayaz started reading books related to law in order to prepare for law exams. He went on to clear the exams with flying colors.
In the meantime, LHC approved his appeal for hearing. His lawyer proved to the court that Ayaz wasn’t present on the scene when the murder occurred.
As a result, the court quashed the capital punishment awarded to Ayaz by the lower court in the fake murder case and issued orders for his immediate release.
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