PESHAWAR, Dec 15: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence given to an accused in honour-related murder.

The appellant, Kamran Khan, had killed his sister in Gulbahar area on Dec 21, 2000, alleging that she had bad reputation.

The bench comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed that the appellant could not be acquitted of the charge. Earlier, Kamran Khan was sentenced to death by an additional district and sessions judge and fined Rs100,000.

The counsel for the appellant contended that he had been forgiven by heirs of the murdered woman and said it was a case of grave provocation. The counsel argued that the husband of the woman had also surrendered his right of qisas.

Zahoor Khan, the husband, appeared before the court and stated that they had reached a compromise. He said he had no objection to the acquittal of the appellant. The woman had four children and one of her daughters is married. The court observed that unless all the heirs forgave the appellant he could not be acquitted.