ISLAMABAD, June 6: A three-member Federal Shariat Court bench acquitted on Thursday Zafran Bibi, who had been awarded stoning to death punishment by the district and sessions judge, Kohat, for having committed adultery.

This is third conviction of death by stoning since the Hudood Ordinance was enforced during the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq.

Leaders of human rights organisations had approached high government officials, including federal and provincial ministers, seeking repeal of the Hudood laws which, they said, were based on “misinterpretations of the injunctions of Islam.”

The prosecution while instituting the case had alleged that Zafran Bibi had committed adultery with the brother of her husband as a result of which she gave birth to a child when her husband was in jail on murder charge.

The district and sessions judge, Kohat, had found the woman guilty of the offence and had sentenced her to death by stoning.

Zafran Bibi had filed an appeal with the Federal Shariat Court which had summoned both the convict and her husband on Thursday.

The three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Fazal Elahi Khan, Justice Fida Mohammad and Justice Ejaz Yousaf, was told by Zafran and her husband that the allegation was totally ill-founded.

They submitted that the child in question was their daughter, and that the defence counsel distorted the case.

The court in its order observed that since Zafran Bibi and her husband have denied the commission of the offence the question doesn’t arise of their conviction.