Man sentenced to 20-year jail term for killing man over family feud

A model court on Monday sentenced an accused to 20-year imprisonment for killing a man over a family feud. Abdul Huda and his fleeing brother Abdul Razzaq were found guilty of firing that caused death of Deedar Hussain within the jurisdiction of the Korangi Industrial Area police station on November 2, 2021.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Zahoor Chandio of the Model Criminal Trial Court (East) observed that the prosecution had proved its case against Huda beyond shadow of any reasonable doubt.

"It has been proved that he along with Abdul Razzaq in the furtherance of their common intention committed murder of Deedar Hussain by way of firing," the judge said, sentencing the accused to 20 years.

The convict was also told to pay Rs200,000 as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased or undergo an additional six-month imprisonment. "The reason for not awarding the death penalty to the accused is that the prosecution has not specifically proved that whose fire shots hit Deedar Hussain, [due to which he] expired so also non recovery of crime weapon," the judge wrote, adding that these created strong mitigating circumstances to award lesser punishment to the accused.

He said the proseuction, however, failed to prove the charges against Hadi Bux, Nadeem and Abdul Wahid beyond any shadow of reasonable doubt, therefore, they were acquitted. The judge kept the case against absconding accused Razzaq, Abdul Wahab and Hussain Chandio on dormant file till their arrest or surrender.

State prosecutor Muhammad Ashraf Bhatti contended that Hussain's daughter Marriam had been married to absconding accused Razzaq. However, due to strained relations because of the couple's inability to have children, Mariam had moved back to her father's house. In an attempt to reconcile, Razzaq approached his father-in-law, but his request was declined.

Annoyed by this denial, Razzaq, along with his brothers Huda, Abdul Wahab, Wahid, and two unidentified individuals went to the shop of his father-in-law. They attacked him and his brother Dhani Bux with sticks as Huda and Razzaq opened fire. As a result of this altercation, Deedar sustained gunshot wounds, and another man, Dhani Bux, was injured. Hussain succumbed to his injuries during treatment at hospital.

An FIR was lodged under the sections 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Korangi Industrial Area police station on the complaint of Muhammad Urs, brother of the deceased.