PESHAWAR: A local court has convicted a man of the murder of three people, including two brothers around five years ago, and sentenced him to death.

Additional district and sessions judge Mohammad Ayaz Khan also ordered convict Gul Roze alias Meena to pay Rs2 million compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased.

He declared four of the absconding accused, including two brothers of the convict Haroon and Wajid, and their cousins Zahid and Saqib, proclaimed offenders and issued perpetual warrants for their arrest.

The court ruled that the prosecution had successfully established the charge against the accused on trial and that the murder of all deceased was committed by him with the intention shared by the absconding accused who all had reached the place of crime carrying weapons to kill the deceased.

It also issues perpetual arrest warrants for four accused

It declared that the sentence of death should not be executed unless it was confirmed by the Peshawar High Court.

The three people were killed in the jurisdiction of the Tehkal police station in June 2017 over an altercation between the two groups.

The accused had opened fire on the other group causing death to two brothers Jehanzeb and Aurangzeb and their cousin, Raj Wali, and injuries to another of their relative.

The accused had fled after the firing incident. The police arrested the main convict thereafter.

An assistant public prosecutor, Fauzia Durrani, appeared for the state and contended that the evidence on record connected the accused facing trial with the commission of the offence.

She contended that the injured person had also testified against the accused.

Ms Durrani said that the accused did not deserve any leniency as he was involved in a heinous offence of killing three people.

BAIL CONFIRMED: The court also confirmed the pre-arrest bail of a woman named along with her husband and son in an honour-related murder of her daughter on the premises of the Peshawar Judicial Complex here.

The deceased had allegedly eloped with a man to Bannu, where the couple was arrested by the police and was handed over to Peshawar’s police.

In Dec 2021, the woman was brought to the court for hearing. However, she was allegedly fired at by her brother, Nauman, and father Shah Wali. Both gunmen were arrested on the spot.

Shah Wali was later granted bail by the high court, whereas his son, Nauman, is still behind bars.

The police later also named the woman’s mother in the murder case and claimed that woman (mother of the deceased) was also involved in the plot to kill her daughter.

Lawyer Danyal Asad Chamkani appeared for the petitioner and contended that his client was falsely implicated in the murder case.

He argued that there was not a single piece of evidence against the petitioner, but the police was still bent on arresting her over the false murder allegation.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2022