CHITRAL: An additional sessions judge in Lower Chitral on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for murdering a co-villager over a monetary dispute in the Garam Chashma area.
Judge Adam Khan Sulemankhel handed down the punishment to Iqbal Hayat after finding him guilty of killing Shafiqullah.
Senior lawyer Amir Gulab Khan represented the prosecution during the trial.
According to the prosecution record, the incident occurred at the Sinjoor Gol pasture near Garam Chashma on Nov 12, 2024. Hayat had reportedly snatched Rs500,000 from Shafiqullah, which triggered a violent altercation between the two men. During the scuffle, Shafiqullah injured Hayat by pelting him with stones. In retaliation, Hayat attacked Shafiqullah with a knife and shot him with a firearm, killing him on the spot.
Following the clash, Hayat reached the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Garam Chashma for medical treatment, where he informed the staff about the incident, and the hospital administration promptly alerted the police.
The Garam Chashma police station SHO, accompanied by the deceased’s father, rushed to the Sinjoor Gol pasture and recovered Shafiqullah’s body. Police seized a blood-stained knife and a firearm from the crime scene, while the bag containing the snatched cash was recovered from the convict’s possession.
In his written verdict, Judge Sulemankhel observed that the prosecution’s evidence held up firmly under legal scrutiny.
“The witnesses of the prosecution remained consistent as their testimony could not be shattered at the trial stage, and from their statements, the fact has been proved that the accused facing trial committed the Qatl-i-Amd (deliberate murder) of Shafiqullah,” the judgment stated.
The judge ruled that Hayat was convicted under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), and awarded him the normal penalty of death as Tazir (judicial punishment), ordering that he be hanged by the neck until dead. The court also ordered him to pay Rs500,000 to the heirs of the deceased, and in case of non-payment, he would undergo imprisonment for six months.
Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2026
