CHITRAL: In what is being hailed as a landmark judgment in the judicial history of the region, the court of the District and Sessions Judge, Lower Chitral, Shahnaz Hameed Khattak, announced the verdict in a 22-year-old murder and armed robbery case, sentencing the prime accused to consecutive life terms.
The convict, Shahzaib, a resident of Sakwar in Gilgit district, was sentenced to two life terms, along with additional prison terms and hefty fines, for his involvement in a double murder and dacoity committed more than two decades ago.
As per the first information report (FIR) lodged at Mastuj police station of Upper Chitral on Oct 16, 2002, the charges were filed under Sections 302 (intentional murder) and 396 (dacoity with murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The prosecution’s case established that on the fateful day, Shahzaib and his accomplices brutally murdered two individuals, Azmat Khuda (driver) and Sikandar Shah, both residents of the Chew Dok locality, and fled the scene in the victims’ vehicle.
While the crime sent shockwaves through the peaceful valley at that time, the prime suspect managed to evade justice for 22 years, living as a fugitive, while the breakthrough came on April 22, 2024, when the police successfully tracked down and arrested Shahzaib, subsequently presenting him before the court to face the long-delayed trial.
Under Section 302 of the PPC, the court sentenced Shahzaib to two life terms for the murder of the two victims. He was also ordered to pay a compensation amount of Rs1 million to the legal heirs of each victim, bringing the total compensation to Rs2 million.
Furthermore, under Section 396 of the PPC, the convict was sentenced to an additional four years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs20,000 for dacoity.
