LAHORE, May 29: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday converted the death sentence of two brothers to life imprisonment, who were convicted for killing three people over a cricket match dispute.

Comprising Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Justice Farrukh Mahmood, the bench also acquitted two co-accused for lack of evidence.

A trial court had awarded death sentence to Abbas Khan and Riaz Khan while life-term to Essa Khan, father of convicts, and their brother Ali for killing Muhammad Iqbal and his two sons, Naseem Raza and Khalid Raza, in 1997.

Appellants pleaded that the deceased party had attacked on their house and opened fire indiscriminately. To save the honour of their females, they also retaliated that resulted in the death of three persons, they further told the court.

— Staff Reporter