Model acquitted in murder case

The Lahore High Court (LHC) acquitted model Uzma Rao on Monday, after setting aside her death sentence in murder case of the model, Abeera.

A two-member division bench comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq passed the orders, while allowing an appeal filed by Rao against the sentence.

The defence counsel argued that the trial court failed to appreciate the facts and handed down the death sentence to Rao, in spite of clear differences in the witness statements.

He pleaded with the court to set aside the death sentence and acquit his client of the murder charges.

However, the plaintiff's counsel argued that the trial court handed down the death sentence in the light the witness statements, pleading with the court to dismiss the appeal.

The bench, after hearing detailed arguments from both parties, allowed the appeal and acquitted Uzma Rao after setting aside her death sentence.

A sessions court handed the death sentence to Rao after finding her guilty in the Abeera murder case on March 13, 2018. In 2015, Shera Kot police had recovered the Abeera’s body from a bag found in a rickshaw at Niazi Adda.

A murder case was registered on Jan 13, 2015 in which Uzma Rao, Farooqur Rehman and Hakeem Zeeshan were nominated. Rehman and Zeeshan were acquitted by the sessions court.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2022.