SHIKARPUR: The Shikarpur Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday sentenced a man to death in a dual murder case of his teenage daughter and niece in Qasim Mahar village of Lakhi Ghulam Shah tehsil on March 18, 2013.

In what appeared to be an honour killing case, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the murders of Shahnawaz aka Shani, 15, daughter of Abdullah Mahar, and Reema, 14, daughter of Sanaullah Mahar, and ordered a reinvestigation of the matter.

In the original FIR, Abdullah Mahar had nominated his brother Sanaullah Mahar and nephew Niaz Ali Mahar as the killers of his daughter and niece.

DSP Abdul Quddus Kalwar, who was appointed the inquiry officer by the SC to reinvestigate the case, found that complainant Abdullah Mahar killed his daughter and niece in connivance with his other associates for honour.

ATC Judge Fida Hussain Mughal on Monday sentenced Abdullah Mahar to death and handed down seven-year imprisonment to Sanaullah Mahar, Niaz Ali Mahar and the then SHO of the Jahan Wah police station, Mohammed Siddique Shar. The three convicts were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs100,000 each. The court acquitted three other accused, Fazal, Malook and Khalil Ahmed, for want of evidence.

The convicts were sent to the Shikarpur district jail after the judgement was pronounced.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2016