ISLAMABAD: An additional district and sessions court has sentenced a man to death for sexually assaulting his stepdaughter over a period of about a year, resulting in the birth of a child, and ordered him to pay Rs3 million in compensation to the victim and the child.

Judge Mohammad Sohail, who presided over a court dealing with gender-based violence cases, convicted Iftikhar Ahmed Khan under Section 376(1) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on him.

The death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), to which the trial court has referred the case. The convict will remain in Adiala Jail pending confirmation of the death sentence.

In its written judgement, the court observed that the prosecution had established its case through the victim’s testimony, the DNA report and other corroborative evidence.

The court noted that the victim’s statement was corroborated by medical evidence and the DNA findings, adding that the prosecution’s evidence was credible. The convict, however, denied having sexual relations with the victim.

According to the judgement, the accused sexually assaulted his stepdaughter over approximately one year, leading to her pregnancy. The victim’s mother was employed and often left her alone at home for extended periods, during which the assaults took place.

In her statement, the victim said she could not inform her mother or siblings about the assaults because she was afraid.

The judgement stated that the last incident occurred on February 1, 2025, while the victim gave birth to a child on July 2, 2025.

The case was registered with Shahzad Town police station on February 5, 2025, on the complaint of the victim’s mother.

Besides sentencing him to death, the court imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the convict, directing that failure to pay would result in an additional six months of imprisonment.

The court also ordered him to pay Rs1 million in damages to the victim and Rs2 million in compensation to the child born as a result of the assault.

According to the verdict, failure to pay the amount awarded to the victim would entail a further six months of imprisonment, while failure to pay the compensation awarded to the child would result in another six months behind bars.

The court directed that the Rs2 million compensation awarded to the child be recovered from the convict’s assets.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2026