KARACHI: After the victims’ legal heirs granted him a pardon in the name of Allah, a sessions court cleared a man of all charges related to the killing of his wife and three minor daughters.
Accused In November 2022, Muhammad Fawad attempted suicide in his home in Malir’s Shamsi Society, under the jurisdiction of the Al-Falah police station, after killing his 40-year-old wife Huma and their three daughters.
Six legal heirs in total—the accused’s mother, his mother-in-law, his sister-in-law, two brothers-in-law, and his own brother—moved before Additional District and Session Judge (East) Aziz Ur Rehman Junejo to request permission to compound the offense in accordance with Section 345(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
They said they had “pardoned the accused in the name of Almighty Allah without any compulsion” and that they would “have no objection if the accused is acquitted” in their testimony to the court.
They also gave up their right to Qisas and Diyat against the defendant.
Accused In November 2022, Fawad murdered his family and made an attempt on his own life in their Malir house.
The judge noted in the verdict that the legal heirs “attested application under Section 345 (2) of the CrPC along with their supporting affidavits and application under Section 345 (6) of the CrPC along with supporting affidavits and proforma for acceptance of compromise for waive of Diyat and confirmed their signature thereon.”
Fawad appeared on bail and the court cleared him of all charges related to murder after hearing from the surviving family members of the deceased and completing the necessary paperwork.
“In my opinion, the accused—who is the husband or father of the deceased—and the legal heirs of the deceased have buried their disputes and reconciled outside of court. There has been no coercion or duress involved in the compromise. Thus, the court decided that there is no obstacle to permitting compromise application.
Pervez Ahmed Qureshi, the state prosecutor, also filed a “no objection” to the compromise application, the court further stated.
Accused Fawad attempted suicide in 2022 in addition to killing his wife and three daughters. At that point, his mother and the wife of the suspect brother had reported to the police that they were ground floor residents who had heard loud screams coming from the upper story of the house.
They hurried upstairs, and when they finally succeeded in opening the door, they discovered the wounded Fawad and the bodies in different rooms. Additionally, they informed the police that although there was “no serious issue” between them, the couple might have occasionally argued like most couples do.
Fawad had been employed as a salesman in a firm that packaged spices, but he had moved to a new company about ten to twenty days prior to the incident. According to the authorities, he was also employed as a “investor” in the food business and had experienced some financial setbacks.
He was the subject of a case filed under Sections 325 (attempt to commit suicide) and 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Al-Falah police station.
The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2022, which repealed Section 325 of the PPC, was approved by the then-president in December 2022, so the accused was not charged with attempted suicide.
