KARACHI: A sessions court sentenced on Wednesday a man to life in prison in a case pertaining to the rape of a minor girl.

Abdul Karim, said to be a relative of the victim, was found guilty of subjecting the 12-year-old girl to sexual assault in a neighbourhood of Korangi Industrial Area in June 2015.

The additional district and sessions judge (East), Ahsan Khan Durrani, read out the conviction order after recording evidence and concluding arguments from both sides.

The court also directed the convict to pay Rs100,000 in compensation to the victim and in case of default he would undergo an additional six-month imprisonment.

The court said that the victim had given an explicit testimony about the incident and categorically deposed against the accused while the medical reports also corroborated her evidence.

According to the prosecution, the accused and the victim were relatives and resided in Gulzar Colony in Korangi Industrial Area and on June 5, the accused visited the house of the girl and raped her after finding the victim alone.

A case was registered under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s father at the KIA police station.

The accused was produced in custody and after the pronouncement of the judgement, he was sent back to prison along with the conviction warrant to serve out the sentence.

Man gets 29 years’ jail

An antiterrorism court handed down on Wednesday a collective sentence of 29 years to an accused in attempted murder, explosives and illicit weapon cases.

The court found Tanveer, alias Chand, said to be a political worker, guilty of attacking Rangers’ personnel and carrying explosives and unlicensed weapon in a Liaquatabad locality in November 2014.

The ATC-VII judge, who conducted the trial at the judicial complex inside the central prison, handed down 14-year imprisonment in explosives, 10 years in attempted murder and five years’ term for keeping illicit weapons.

The court also imposed fines, but ruled that all the sentences would run concurrently.

The convict was booked in three cases at the Supermarket police station.

He along with three others had also faced trial in another case pertaining to the killing of deputy superintendent of central prison Amanullah Khan Niazi, his brother Habibullah Niazi and three guards near Saddar in June 2006.

However, the same court had acquitted them in March for want of evidence.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2017