KARACHI: A model court on Friday acquitted a teenage girl and three others in a case pertaining to the murder of her younger sister after her parents pardoned them.

Eighteen-year-old Alveena along with her fiancé Mazhar Mehfooz were charged with killing her 16-year-old sister Aleena in what police claimed was a staged robbery at her home in December 2017 within the remit of the Saudabad police station.

Two co-accused brothers Ahsan and Abbas were charged with blackmailing the female accused and forcing her to kill her own sister.

On Friday, additional district and sessions judge Haleem Ahmed of the model criminal trial court (East) pronounced his judgement after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge accepted compromise applications moved by the accused persons and the parents of the victim supported by their affidavits and acquitted them of the charges.

In their application and affidavits, the parents of the victim mentioned that they had pardoned all the four accused persons, including their daughter Alveena and her husband Mazhar, in the name of the Almighty, without any duress and pressure and waived off their right to claim compensation as well.

According to the prosecution, the female accused and her fiancé had recorded their confessional statements before a judicial magistrate during the investigation of the case. Both admitted that they slit the throat of the victim since she had friendship with one of the two accused brothers and she allegedly helped both to visit her home in the absence of her parents and to blackmail the female accused after getting her intimate pictures in their mobile phones.

Initially, the police registered an FIR of the incident under Sections 397 (dacoity or robbery with attempt to cause death or grievous injury) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the deceased’s father at the Saudabad police station.

According to the FIR, two men broke into the house for robbery, stabbed the 16-year-old to death for putting up resistance and took away cash, jewellery and other valuables.

Later, the investigating officer replaced 397 with Section 302 (premeditated murder) and also incorporated Section 109 (abetment) of PPC in the case.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2019