KARACHI: A model court has awarded life imprisonment to a woman for murdering her husband in Korangi.

Beena was found guilty of killing her 40-year-old husband Muhammad Shahid with the help of Muhammad Rehan within the remit of Shah Faisal Colony police station in June last year.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Haleem Ahmed of the Model Criminal Trial Court (East) pronounced his verdict reserved after recording evidence and hearing final arguments from both sides.

The judge noted that the prosecution successfully proved the charge against the accused. She was also ordered to pay Rs1 million as compensation to the legal heirs of the victim.

However, the judge observed that the convict was not awarded capital punishment since the entire prosecution case rested on circumstantial evidence, which “constitutes strong mitigating factor in awarding lesser punishment”.

The judge acquitted co-accused Rehan for lack of evidence, observing that his guilt could not be established because there was no sufficient evidence available against him except for a complaint that the deceased had lodged against him and his alleged confessional statement “that was not sufficient to prove the charge against him”.

According to the prosecution, Beena had killed Shahid by slitting his throat with a sharp knife in June 2021.

A case was lodged under Section 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Shah Faisal Colony police station on the complaint of the victim’s sister, Muskan.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2022