Capital punishment: Death penalty for murder of wife, daughter

By Shamsul Islam

Published: September 20, 2011

Iqbal set his wife and 10-year-old daughter on fire in April; he said his wife had cheated on him.

FAISALABAD:

The Anti Terrorist Court (ATC) has sentenced a man to death after he was found guilty of setting his wife and daughter on fire.

The court sentenced accused Ghulam Muhammadabad Christian Chowk resident Nasir Iqbal was found guilty of burning his wife and daughter alive over allegations of her having had illicit relations with a neighbour in the limits of Ghulam Muhammad Abad Police Station.

The incident took place on April 19, 2011 and the prosecution alleged that Iqbal had killed his daughter and wife after accusing the latter of cheating on him.

“He said that the child didn’t look anything like him and that she had an affair with his neighbour,” said advocate Muazzam Rashid. “The girl was ten years old but when he suspected his wife of cheating on him, he also alleged that the child wasn’t his,” he added.

Iqbal’s wife Sobia and daughter Kashfa, 10, were set on fire by Iqbal in their home. “He locked them in a room and sprinkled gasoline all over and lit a match,” said Iqbal’s neighbour Haroon Khalid. The accused was arrested by Ghulam Muhammadabad Police and his challan was submitted before ATC judge Raja Muhammad Arshad in Court No.1.

After recording the evidence and hearing witness testimonies, the court announced on Monday, that Nasir Iqbal was guilty of killing his wife and daughter and would face the death penalty.

Iqbal admitted to spraying petrol on his wife and daughter and then locking them in a room and setting the place on fire.

Sobia and Kashfa both perished in the fire and hospital officials stated that they had sustained over 80 per cent burns to their entire bodies in the autopsy report submitted with the court.

Iqbal has been given a death sentence on four counts and the court has also imposed a fine of Rs200,000.

The court ordered that if the accused failed to pay the fine within the stipulated deadlines he would undergo an additional year of rigorous punishment. Sobia’s mother and sisters were present in the court during the sentencing and recorded statements against Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2011.