Man sentenced to death for murdering wife, three children

karachi: An anti-terrorism court has awarded the death sentence to a man on eight counts for murdering his wife, two minor children and a minor brother-in-law over domestic issues.

Muhammad Manan was convicted for the murder of his wife Rabia, one-year-old son Rehan, three-year-old daughter Raheela and six-year-old brother-in-law Noor Muhammad within the jurisdiction of Iqbal Market police station in May 2017.

The ATC-V judge observed that the prosecution successfully proved the charge against the accused. “I would like to say that act of the accused when he committed the murder of innocent persons namely Rabia Naz, Noor Muhammad, Baby Raheela and Master Rehan inside the house in a brutal manner falls within the definition of terrorism, which definitely created panic and fear in the mind of general public as well as locality, therefore, accused is convicted and sentenced under the provision of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997,” he ruled.

The judge awarded the death penalty to the convict on eight counts under the murder and terrorism charges. The convict was ordered to pay Rs300,000 as fine and another Rs300,000 as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased. On default, he would have to undergo additional two-year imprisonment.

“As far as awarding of maximum punishment is concerned, accused Muhammad Manan has committed murder in ruthless, cruel and brutal manner, thus [he] is not entitled for leniency,” the judge said.

Quoting a Supreme Court judgement, he said death sentence creates deterrence in society due to which no other person would dare to commit the offence of murder.

“When in any proved case a lenient view was taken, the peace, tranquility and harmony of society would be jeopardized and vandalism would prevail in the society.”

The death sentence awarded to the accused is subject to confirmation by the court.

According to state prosecutor Khan Muhammad Bhangwar, complainant Sabir Ahmed's daughter Rabia, then aged 24/25 years, had been divorced and had a three-year-old-daughter Raheela. He got his daughter re-married to Muhammad Manan.

The complainant’s six-year-old son Noor Muhammad was also residing with the couple. Since their son Rehan was born, two sons of Manan's former wife, Asif and Yousuf, became jealous of their stepmother. The minor was one-and-half-years old at the time of the incident.

The prosecutor contended that on July 12, 2017, Manan and his sons quarreled with Rabia and brutally beat her along with her minor children and brother with iron rods. They received severe injuries and died on the spot while the accused managed to flee, he added.

On January 20, 2022, the ATC had convicted the accused, who then challenged the judgement in the Sindh High Court. The SHC bench remanded the case back to the ATC with a direction to record statements of some witnesses afresh.

The judge had acquitted Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Yousuf by extending them the benefit of the doubt.

An FIR was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Iqbal Market police station.