LAHORE: A sessions court on Friday commuted rigorous imprisonment by two years earlier awarded by a trial court to a son of a senior lawyer on charges of trying to kill his fellow student of law in a brutal knife attack.

Shah Hussain had challenged the conviction in the sessions court while victim Khadija Siddiqui had also filed an appeal for the enhancement of the punishment handed down to the convict.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Ghulam Murtaza Uppal, however, dismissed appeal of the victim and partially allowed the appeal of the convict reducing his seven-year rigorous imprisonment to five years.

A judicial magistrate had on July 29, 2017 sentenced Hussain to seven-year imprisonment under section 324 (attempted murder) of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), two years under section 337A(i) (causing injuries), five years under section 337A(ii), one year under section 337F(i), three years under section 337F(ii) and five years under section 337F(iv).

Also read: Khadija was stabbed 23 times in Lahore. Here's how she put her attacker behind bars

Ms Siddiqui’s counsel Hassan Niazi told Dawn that the court set aside the minor penalties of the convict and commuted the seven-year imprisonment given under section 324 by two years.

However, he said the reasons for reducing the sentence were not known as the written verdict was yet to be released by the court. He said the decision would be assailed before the Lahore High Court once the copy of it was released by the sessions court.

The trial judge in his decision had noted that despite detailed cross-examination of eyewitnesses nothing came out in favour of the convict. He further observed that the convict had stabbed the victim mercilessly as severe injuries clearly established that the convict stabbed her without any limit to commit her to death.

Ms Siddiqui, a law student, was attacked by Shah Hussain on May 3, 2016 near Shimla Hill where she along with driver had gone to pick her younger sister from school. Both sisters were about to get into their car when helmet-wearing Hussain attacked Ms Siddiqui with knife and stabbed her 23 times leaving her critically injured.

The Civil Lines police had registered a case against Shah Hussain on charges of attempted murder. The convict is son of senior lawyer Tanvir Hashmi.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2018