MANSEHRA: A teenage girl, who was gang-raped last year, has expressed reservations about ‘light’ sentences awarded by an anti-terrorism court to the convicted rapists and decided to move the Peshawar High Court to seek the award of death or life sentence to them.

The girl’s lawyer, Ghulam Mustapha Khan, announced on Friday that the sentences given to rapists didn’t ensure dispensation of justice to his client, who demanded execution or life sentence for them.

Read: Head of seminary, 2 others convicted in rape case

“We are going to move the high court to seek the change of light sentences for rapists and acquitted girl to death or life sentence,” he told reporters here.

An anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad on Thursday convicted a cleric and two others of gang-rape of the girl, a first-year student, in a moving car on May 12 last year and sentenced two of them to 14 years rigorous imprisonment and the third, the car driver, to 10 years detention.

Insists justice not done by anti-terrorist court in the case

However, the co-accused in the case, a girl, was acquitted.

The lawyer for the rape victim said despite strong evidence and statement of his client, the court didn’t appreciate evidence judicially and according to the facts, the offence was of serious nature under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

“Clause 6 of the ATA states that an act or crime, which creates so much sense of fear among public that they avoid sending their children, especially girls to schools or out of home, is liable for capital punishment but the ATC didn’t follow it,” he said.

The lawyer said evidence, DNA tests and medical reports confirmed the gang-rape but the punishment awarded to convicts didn’t match the crime and that justice was not done in the case.

He said he would move the Peshawar High Court bench in Abbottabad next week to seek capital punishment or life imprisonment for convicts and the acquitted girl.

“I am going to submit a revision petition seeking capital or life sentence for convicts and the acquitted co-accused,” he said.

AGREEMENT ON PRICE LIST: The district administration and traders on Friday settled a dispute over punishment for the violation of the official price list.

Under the agreement, traders will strictly follow the price list issued by the district price control and review committee.

“We want end to artificial inflation. If traders follow the official price list, we will neither act against them nor will we fine them,” deputy commissioner Aamir Khattak told traders with a meeting in his office.

The traders had observed a shutter-down strike on Wednesday after the district administration fined 52 traders over profiteering.

President of the traders body Hafiz Ijazur Rehman said the district administration should respect traders and treated them as respectable citizens.

He also said traders not following the official price list should be fined instead of being taken to the police stations.

The deputy commissioner said the administration would continue cracking down on artificial inflation and hoarding.

He said trades should exhibit price list at prominent places in shops and stores and strictly follow it. Khattak said both the district price and review committee and district consumer protection councils would be expanded by induction of more members.

He announced Rs3 million for the city’s cleanliness and Rs1.5 million for the expansion of slaughterhouse.

Traders assured the deputy commissioner that they would follow the official price list.

Meanwhile, the Mansehra municipal committee on Thursday fined eight butchers for selling ‘unstamped’ meat.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2015

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