KARACHI: An antiterrorism court (ATC) handed down death sentence on four counts to a man for murdering his wife, two minor children and a young brother-in-law over domestic issues in 2017.

Muhammad Manan was found guilty of killing his wife Rabia, 25, one-year-old son Rehan, three-year-old daughter Raheela and six-year-old brother-in-law Noor Muhammad within the jurisdiction of the Iqbal Market police station.

The ATC-V judge, who conducted the fresh trial on the direction of the Sindh High Court in the Judicial Complex inside the Central Prison, pronounced his verdict and sentenced the accused to death on four counts of murder under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act besides other relevant laws.

The judge noted that the prosecution successfully proved its charges against the accused. The convict was also ordered to pay Rs600,000 each to the legal heirs of the victims. On default, he would have to serve additional two years in jail.

State prosecutor Khan Muhammad Bhangwar said that according to complainant Sabir Ahmed, his daughter Rabia, then aged 24/25 years, had been divorced. She had a three-year-old daughter Raheela.

He added that then the complainant got his daughter married to Manan. The complainant’s six-year-old son Noor Muhammad was also residing with the couple since their son was born, who was aged one-and-a-half year at the time of the incident.

The prosecutor said that two sons of Manan’s former wife — Asif and Yousuf — became jealous of their stepmother. On July 12, 2017, Manan and his sons quarrelled with Rabia and subsequently started beating her, along with her minor children and brother, with iron rods.

In its earlier judgement passed in January 2022, the court acquitted Asif and Yousuf by extending them the benefit of doubt.

During the trial, the defence counsel highlighted some discrepancies and contradictions in the evidence of prosecution witnesses (PW), however, the court rejected the defence plea and noted that statements of the PWs were recorded after a considerable period of time of the incident.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2024