Seven convicted in family massacre case

A local court on Tuesday delivered the verdict in the Chauntra police station multiple murder case involving the killing of nine members of a single family, including five women, three minor girls and one man.

The victims were shot dead inside their homes with Kalashnikov rifles in an act of revenge stemming from a long-standing feud.

Upon conviction, four accused - Rabb Nawaz, Danish Nawaz, Aqib Aslam and Muhammad Ashraf - were each sentenced to death on five counts and fined Rs500,000. In addition, all four were awarded three years' imprisonment and fined Rs100,000 each on charges relating to criminal conspiracy.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Majid Hussain Gadhi observed that the offence constituted a "heinous and barbaric crime" for which no leniency or concession could be granted. The judgement further ordered that the convicts be "hanged by the neck until dead".

Meanwhile, three other accused - Rabb Nawaz, Danish Nawaz and Ikram Nawaz, all members of the same family - were each sentenced to five terms of life imprisonment and fined Rs500,000, with an additional six months' imprisonment in default of payment. They were also sentenced to three years' imprisonment and fined Rs100,000 each for criminal conspiracy.

In total, the court handed down 20 death sentences, 15 life sentences, 21 years' imprisonment and fines amounting to Rs4.5 million.

Five other accused - Qaiser Abbas, Javed Iqbal, Waseem, Tahir Mahmood and Abid Nawaz - were acquitted and granted the benefit of the doubt.

According to the prosecution, the accused stormed homes in Chontra village on 25 July 2020 to avenge an old enmity and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five women - Azra Bibi, Nisar Bibi, Saleem Akhtar Bibi, Andleeb Bibi and Sidra Bibi - along with three young girls, Iman Fatima, Muneeba and Abida Shaheen, as well as a young man, Muhammad Farhan.

Last year, a divisional bench of the Lahore High Court remanded the case back to the sessions court after hearing appeals, directing the trial court to conduct fresh arguments and issue a revised judgement. Following rehearing and reconsideration, the death and life imprisonment sentences have once again been upheld.

Nearly 200 supporters of both parties were present at the Judicial Complex during the proceedings, while heavy police security surrounded the court premises. Following the verdict, the convicted men were immediately transferred to Adiala Jail.