KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for abducting and raping an 11-year-old girl.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) Zahoor Ahmed Chandio found accused Aijaz guilty of two offences under Sections 364-A (Kidnapping or abducting a person under the 14 years) and 376 (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and handed down 10 years and life term, respectively.
Meanwhile, the court acquitted the convict’s brother and sister as evidence against them was insufficient to establish their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The victim’s testimony primarily implicated Aijaz. The girl mentioned the presence of the two co-accused during the abduction, but there was no direct evidence linking them to the sexual assault or to any active participation in the crime, the court observed.
According to state prosecutor Irfana Qadri, the victim testified that in February 2022, she was at home as she was ill while her parents were not present at the home. She stated that their tenant, Aijaz, told her that her father was calling her at their medical store.
The victim recounted that as she was leaving with the accused, a rickshaw — in which allegedly Aijaz’s brother and sister were already seated — reached. She was bundled into the rickshaw and was rendered unconscious. When the girl regained consciousness, she learnt that she had been abducted and taken to Punjab, where Aijaz subjected her to sexual assault multiple times.
A few days later, while Aijaz was taking her somewhere, the girl saw police officers nearby and raised alarm. On this, the accused fled, leaving the girl behind.
Subsequently, the Sialkot police produced the girl before a court in Punjab and later she was brought back to Karachi. Meanwhile, the police subsequently arrested the accused
In his defence, the accused claimed that he had contracted marriage with the victim, claiming that their relationship was lawful.
However, the court observed that the accused’s claim lacked substantial evidentiary support.
Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2025
