KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment in a case pertaining to the rape of a teenage girl.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (Central) Mirza Tauseef Ahmed convicted Naseeb Gul alias Imran, who appeared on bail, of committing an offence under Section 376-III (rape of a minor or a person with a mental or physical disability) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The judge passed the order after recording evidence and hearing arguments from state prosecutor Shaikh Hina Naz Shams and defence counsel.

“It is also pertinent to note that the victim in this case is a girl under the age of 18 years. As per her statement and the medical evidence, she was subjected to repeated acts of rape by her real maternal uncle. The nature of the offence, the age of the victim, and the relationship between the parties squarely attract the provisions of Section 376 (3) of the Pakistan Penal Code [PPC], which prescribes enhanced punishment for rape committed against a minor,” the court noted.

It’s an unfortunate reality that sexual assault victims often bear the burden of shame despite being innocent, judge observes

It also imposed a fine of Rs100,000, and in default, he would serve additional imprisonment.

During the trial, prosecutor Hina Naz submitted before the court that the accused, being the maternal uncle of the survivor, committed the rape repeatedly by exploiting the absence of the survivor’s mother. She emphasised that the survivor was minor at the time of the offence.

The prosecutor maintained that the survivor disclosed the matter to her mother, who then caught the accused in the act and called police in 2021. She contended that the survivor’s statement before the magistrate corroborated the FIR and implicated the accused, and she remained firm during cross-examination.

On the other hand, the defence counsel claimed innocence of the accused and submitted that the case was registered falsely at the behest of the complainant’s mother over the alleged family dispute. The counsel denied the allegations and stated that his client did not commit the offence with his niece.

But the court rejected the defence plea and observed: “It is highly improbable that she would falsely implicate her real maternal uncle in such a heinous crime and subject herself to lifelong stigma. The unfortunate reality of our society is that victims of sexual assault often bear the burden of shame, despite being innocent. Therefore, it is unreasonable to believe that the victim would fabricate such allegations merely at the behest of her mother, as alleged by the accused. Rather, it is proved that the accused has taken advantage of his fiduciary relationship with the victim and absence of her parents, and has subjected her to rape for several times over a period of two years.”

A case was registered at New Karachi Industrial Area police station under Sections 376 (rape) of the PPC.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2025