Man gets 29-year jail term for throwing acid on varsity teacher in Lahore

Published August 2, 2019
Convict had attacked the victim in 2014 after she refused a marriage proposal. — AFP/File
Convict had attacked the victim in 2014 after she refused a marriage proposal. — AFP/File

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday awarded a man collective imprisonment of 29 years on different counts after finding him guilty of throwing acid on a private university’s teacher a month before her marriage, in January 2014.

Umar Farooq had attacked Huma Shahid with acid when she was going home from the university on an auto-rickshaw on College Road, Green Town.

Farooq was pillion riding with his friend Abdul Haq on a motorcycle when they intercepted the rickshaw and threw acid on Ms Shahid.

The police investigation revealed that Farooq was friend of Ms Shahid’s fiancé and sent a marriage proposal to her. However, the victim’s family rejected the proposal and also complained to the convict’s parents.

Farooq nurtured a grudge against Ms Shahid and in connivance with his friend threw acid on her.

Satokatla police had arrested Haq who was handed down 14-year term by the trial court.

Meanwhile, Farooq fled to Dubai where Interpol arrested him in April 2017 and handed him over to Pakistani authorities.

After the prosecution successfully established its case, ATC-III presiding judge Javed Iqbal Warraich announced the guilty verdict on Thursday.

The judge handed down 14-year rigorous imprisonment to Farooq under section 336-B of the Pakistan Penal Code along with a fine of Rs1 million, 10-year imprisonment with Rs100,000 fine under section 7 (c) of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 and five-year imprisonment under section 21-L of the ATA.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

Advocate Faizullah Khan Niazi, the victim’s counsel, told Dawn that Huma Shahid, after surviving the acid attack married her fiance and went to Germany to pursue a Ph.D programme. He said the victim visited Pakistan for a couple times to record her testimony before the trial court.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Internal chaos
28 Mar, 2023

Internal chaos

The govt seems to be having great trouble asserting itself while remaining within the limits of the law.
Health insurance
28 Mar, 2023

Health insurance

IT is frustrating to watch a major public welfare initiative meant to ensure universal health coverage for 25m...
HDT chief’s detention
28 Mar, 2023

HDT chief’s detention

RATHER than lending a sympathetic ear to the people of Balochistan, the state’s response more often than not is to...
Crop concerns
27 Mar, 2023

Crop concerns

AFTER last year’s heatwave that caused wheat grains to shrink significantly, the ongoing wet spell in Punjab and...
Higher learning
Updated 27 Mar, 2023

Higher learning

It is unfortunate that universities in Pakistan — with a few honourable exceptions — are hardly delivering world-class graduates.
Nur Jehan’s suffering
27 Mar, 2023

Nur Jehan’s suffering

FOR years, she was a star attraction for children visiting the Karachi Zoo who delighted in taking rides on her ...