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Acid throwing more heinous than murder: SC

By Our Correspondent
July 12, 2019

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday observed that there will be no compromise on acid throwing and held that the instant crime is even more heinous than murder.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa heard an appeal filed by one Javed Iqbal against his conviction, sentencing him for throwing acid on a woman.

The court, however, dismissed his appeal with an observation that although he was pardoned by the victim but he deserved no mercy.

During the course of hearing, counsel for the accused Javed Iqbal submitted before the court that the affected woman had pardoned his client hence he should be acquitted in the instant matter.

Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, however, observed that the victim might have pardoned the accused but the law would take its course and could not award mercy to him.

The chief justice noted that it is possible that the affected lady was threatened for dire consequences and forced her to make a statement before the apex court that she had pardoned the accused. There will be no compromise on the cases related to acid throwing matters and the law for this offence is very strict, the CJP remarked adding that even acid throwing crime is heinous than murder as well.

The chief justice noted that the burning someone while throwing acid is a kind of barbarism adding that the accused had resorted to cruelty while attacking the lady with acid. The chief justice observed that the accused deserves no mercy and the punishment for the said offence is life imprisonment adding that it is a crime against the state.

Meanwhile, the court dismissed the pela of the accused seeking acquittal in the matter.