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ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (APP):The Supreme Court of Pakistan has upheld the life imprisonment sentences of six convicts in a case involving the murder of five people in Qasur, dismissing their appeals as well as a plea by the complainant seeking enhancement of punishment.
According to the detailed written judgment approved for reporting, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no legal defect in the Lahore High Court’s decision. The court observed that the prosecution had successfully established the case through credible eyewitness testimony and medical evidence confirming multiple gunshot wounds on the victims’ bodies.
The court noted that the post-mortem examinations of the deceased were conducted promptly on the same night as the incident, and the First Information Report (FIR) was registered without undue delay, strengthening the prosecution’s stance.
The verdict was delivered by a three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim.
The case relates to an incident in January 2014, when indiscriminate firing near the Mustafa Abad Toll Plaza in Qasur resulted in the deaths of five people.
The trial court had earlier awarded four counts of death penalty each to seven accused, while acquitting three others.
Subsequently, the Lahore High Court acquitted one of the convicts and commuted the death sentences of the remaining six accused to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld this decision, ruling that the evidence on record was satisfactory, consistent, and reliable.
In its judgment, the apex court stated that the material on record left no room for doubt regarding the involvement of the convicted persons, and therefore their appeals lacked merit.
The court also dismissed the complainant’s request for restoration or enhancement of the death penalty, concluding that the life sentences awarded by the Lahore High Court were appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the case.