LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge ordered the release of four members of a family on Wednesday in the murder case of their teenaged maid after the heirs pardoned them.

Millat Park police registered the murder case against Mirza Hasan Askari, his wife Maria Hasan, son Ahmed Hasan and daughter Mahrukh Jamshaid for killing their 14-year-old maid Aqsa in April. The case was registered on the complaint of Aqsa’s father Abdul Razzaq. The maid was allegedly burnt to death after torture.

Legal heirs of Aqsa submitted their affidavits in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Naseem Ahmad Virk favouring the release of the suspects.

In another case, the court acquitted Ghulam Murtaza of double murder after the prosecution witnesses turned hostile.

Ghulam Murtza was accused of killing Muhammad Nawaz and Irshad Bibi on April 11, 2011, in the Nishtar Colony police jurisdiction for honour.

The judge allowed the appeal and acquitted Murtaza.

Order: A sessions court on Wednesday restrained police from harassing the love marriage couple.

Shabnam Sharif pleaded that she contracted marriage with Sajid Husain against the will of her family. She said her brothers Hanif and Ghulam Muhammad wanted to give her hand to a man in

‘Watta Satta’ (exchange marriage).

The petitioner alleged that her brothers kept forcing her to get divorce from Husain and they also subjected her to torture. One day, she said, her brothers shaved her head and eyebrows when she refused to accept their demand.

She said Shaheenabad police (Sargodha) lodged a fake case against her husband at the behest of her brothers.

She said police had been conducting raids at her house and harassing her. She prayed to the court to restrain the police from harassing them.

An additional district and sessions judge disposed of the petition and restrained the respective police from taking any illegal action against the couple.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014