Peshawar High Court Upholds Death Sentences In Dera Ismail Khan Madrassa Teacher Murder Case

(MENAFN- Tribal News Network)

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The Peshawar High Court's Dera Ismail Khan bench on Monday upheld the death sentences of two women convicted in the brutal killing of a madrassa teacher on allegations of blasphemy.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Farah Jamshed and Justice Inamullah Khan dismissed the appeals of 20-year-old Razia Hanfia and 25-year-old Umaira Aman Hanfia, both of whom had been handed capital punishment by a trial court. The court also upheld the life sentence awarded to 16-year-old Ayesha Lughmani, who was sentenced to life imprisonment due to her minor age at the time of the crime.

The incident took place on March 29, 2022, in Anjumabad, within the jurisdiction of Cantonment Police Station, Dera Ismail Khan. According to case details, three female students of Jamia Islamia Falah

Banat intercepted their 18-year-old teacher, identified as S. Bibi from the Mehsud tribe, at the madrassa gate around 7 a.m. and repeatedly attacked her with knives before slitting her throat. The killing spread shock and fear across the area.:

Investigations revealed that the accused girls told police they were influenced by a fellow student's dream, in which the victim was allegedly portrayed as a blasphemer, and her killing was promised as a gateway to paradise. Acting on this belief, the students carried out the attack. Police recovered knives and a club used in the crime from their possession.

On March 18, 2024, Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Jameel convicted the three accused, sentencing two to death along with fines of Rs2 million each, while the underage convict received life imprisonment and a fine of Rs1 million.

The victim's family was represented in court by senior Supreme Court lawyer Muhammad Naveed Mehsud Advocate and Haji Shakeel Advocate.

Legal experts and civil society circles in Dera Ismail Khan noted that the case, considered one of the most high-profile murder trials in the region's history, has now reached a crucial stage following the High Court's ruling.

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