KARACHI: A sessions court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife and his accomplice to life imprisonment.

The accused, Abid Hussain, was found guilty of setting on fire his wife, Nazeeran Bibi, with the help of his brother Sabir Hussain within the remit of the Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan police station in June 2014.

On Wednesday, the additional district and sessions judge (Central), a model criminal trial court, pronounced the verdict reserved earlier after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

Judge Liaquat Ali Khoso awarded death sentence to Abid Hussain for his direct role in the murder. He observed that the crime was committed against a woman in a brutal and atrocious manner, which warranted the maximum punishment.

He also sentenced the co-accused, Sabir, to life imprisonment. Besides, both were ordered to pay Rs1 million each to the legal heirs of the victim.

According to the prosecution, Abid Hussain quarrelled with his wife Nazeeran over the issue of sale of her house, where they were living. It further mentioned that the victim resisted sale of the property upon which Abid with his brother Sabir set her on fire. After the investigating officer filed a report, under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court indicted the accused. They pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the charges.

During the trial, both accused recorded their statements under Section 342 of the CrPC, denying the allegations levelled against them by the prosecution and claimed innocence.

The children of the victim — son Sajid Hussain and daughter Shahnaz — testified before the court that on the day of the incident their father quarrelled with their mother. They added that later their paternal uncle Sabir brought kerosene and told their father to “finish” her (Nazeeran) and that he would handle the situation afterwards.

The daughter further deposed that on hearing the cries of her mother she entered the room and saw her mother in flames. Shahnaz said her mother shouted that her father had set her on fire.

The siblings said that their uncle fled the house after their father set fire to their mother, but returned shortly and also took their father with him and fled the scene. Another prosecution witness, Shah Nawaz, who lodged the FIR, testified that his sister had told him that the accused Sabir had poured kerosene on her and Abid set her on fire.

The court also considered, as admissible evidence, the dying declaration made by the victim in her statement recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC during her treatment for burn injuries, as she was admitted to the Civil Hospital Karachi, where she later died from her wounds.

A case under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered at the Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan police station.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2019