KARACHI: A district and sessions court sentenced a man to 10 years in jail for raping his friend at his house.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Ghulam Mustafa Laghari, who also presides over the Gender-Based Trial Court (Central), found the accused, Amir Ayub, guilty of rape, which resulted in the victim becoming pregnant.

In the detailed order, the judge stated: “In my humble view, the victim’s testimony is fully supported by the medico-legal certificate (MLC) and the DNA report, which are sufficient to prove the case of rape against the accused.”

He further noted that the DNA report confirmed the accused as the biological father of the victim’s child.

After delivering the verdict, the judge cancelled the accused’s bail bond and directed the police to take him into custody, as he had appeared in court on bail.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs25,000 on the convict and ruled that in the event of non-payment, he would serve an additional two months in jail.

According to state prosecutor Hina Naz Shams, on May 6, 2019, the survivor, who had been friends with the accused for seven years, went to his house as he claimed he wanted to discuss their marriage with his mother. Once inside, the accused locked the door and, at gunpoint, raped her and filmed the assault.

The accused threatened the survivor, warning that if she told anyone, he would upload her pictures and videos online. A week later, the survivor confided the incident to a Bishop, who accompanied her to the Sharifabad police station to file a complaint.

However, the police initially refused to take her complaint, instructing her to approach the court instead. Following an order from a sessions judge (Central), the police recorded her statement, registered the complaint, and apprehended the suspect.

After the FIR was lodged, a medical examination confirmed that the survivor was pregnant. Following the birth of her baby boy, a DNA test confirmed the accused as the biological father.

The court noted that although the accused denied the allegations, he neither testified on oath nor produced any witnesses in his defence.

The case was registered at the Sharifabad police station under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024