PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has granted bail to an accused arrested on charges of honour-related murder of his sister-in-law in Swat district over three months ago.

A single-member bench consisting of Justice Shahid Khan accepted a petition filed by the accused Aseel Zada on condition of submitting two surety bonds of Rs200,000 each.

“The record so furnished would divulge that the event in hand is prima facie unseen in its nature and kind. Likewise, the complainant/ASHO (additional station house officer) has neither disclosed the names of those persons who have informed him about the alleged involvement of the accused/petitioner in the commission of the offence nor he could put forward any other cogent and worth reliable information in this regard, which could prima facie speaks about the guilt or otherwise of the accused/ petitioner,” the bench observed.

The court added that the evidentiary value of the prosecution evidence, in particular the weapon of offence allegedly recovered on pointation of the accused should be adjudged buy the trial court after recording of pro and contra evidence, however for the time being the case of the accused was one of further inquiry.

Advocate Sardar Zulfiqar appeared for the petitioner and contended that his client was falsely implicated in the instant case and there was no trustworthy evidence against him.

The FIR of the occurrence was registered at Shah Dehri police station on May 8, 2024, by the ASHO Bukht Zameen under section 302 (intentional murder) and 311 (fasad fil arz or mischief on earth) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The ASHO stated that he received information that a woman had been killed in Shah Dehri area and when he went there he found the body lying on a cot.

He stated that a brother-in-law of the deceased woman name Zahir Khan was present there who told him that she was wife of his brother Akber Ali.

He stated that the deceased was married to Akber Khan around 15-16 years ago and was having three children out of the wedlock.

The ASHO stated that on further probe he came to know that the deceased’s husband was suffering from mental ailment and her brother-in-law Aseel Zada suspected that she was having illicit relations with someone.

He stated that due to that suspicion the accused had fired at the deceased resulting in her death.

Earlier, an additional sessions judge had rejected bail plea of the petitioner on June 22 observing that he was directly charged in the FIR and the medical evidence supported the prosecution case.

Meanwhile, the bench also granted bail to a suspect arrested on charges of attempting to sexually assault a 12-year-old boy in Shangla district around a month ago.

The bench observed that though the accused/ petitioner had been charged by the victim, for the commission of the offence, but the medical evidence was not in line with the prosecution version.

The FIR of the occurrence was registered at Chakesar police station, Shangla, on July 18, 2024, under section 376 (rape) and 506 (life threats) of the PPC and section 53 (sexual abuse) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act.

The victim, who is also complainant, stated that he had gone to the shop of the accused to purchase some nails. He stated that the accused tried to assault him but upon his hue and cry he let him go with threats not to tell anyone about the occurrence.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024