The Lahore High Court has announced its verdict on the appeal filed by a convict sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his wife with repeated blows from sticks, dismissing the appeal and upholding the sentence of Muhammad Ashraf. Justice Asjad Javed Gharal of the Lahore High Court issued a six-page written judgment on Muhammad Ashraf’s appeal. 

The court observed that the key eyewitness against the convict was his own son. The judgment noted that in society, a father holds a position of great respect, and a son would not level such a serious allegation against his father falsely. Since the son himself accused his father of murder, this testimony could not be rejected without evidence. 

The court further stated that the defense had argued that the deceased had other children who did not implicate their father. However, the court emphasized that it is the quality, not the number, of witnesses that matters. It is understandable that when a father is accused of killing the mother, children face extreme emotional pressure, and it cannot be expected that every child would testify against their father. 

The judgment added that factors such as fear, intimidation, and loyalty can influence children, and the failure of other children to testify against their father does not weaken the prosecution’s case. The court also ruled that the argument of the absence of motive alone cannot justify acquittal.

The prosecution successfully proved its case, and therefore, the appeal against the sentence was dismissed and the punishment upheld. It is recalled that a case was registered against Muhammad Ashraf in a police station in Gujranwala in 2021, and in 2022, a Gujranwala sessions court sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)