Haripur Court Hands 32-Year Sentence in 2020 Case
A court in Haripur has handed down a 32-year sentence in a 2020 case involving a nine-year-old mentally challenged girl.
Gender-based violence (GBV) court judge Shah Faisal sentenced Habibur Rehman, also known as Qara, to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs200,000. He was also convicted under Section 53 of the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act and sentenced to seven years in prison, with a further fine of Rs100,000.
The court extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure to the convict, which means both sentences will run concurrently. He will serve 25 years in total.
32-year sentence ends six-year trial
Deputy Public Prosecutor Javed Yousuf, who prosecuted the case before the GBV court, told reporters that on July 8, 2020, the nine-year-old girl was found bleeding and crying outside her house in Mohallah Darband, Khalabat Township, after remaining missing for some time.
The girl told her parents about the incident. With the help of CCTV footage, neighbours identified Habibur Rehman as the suspect.
The Khalabat Township police arrested him after registering a case under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 53 of the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act. The police investigation wing later submitted a charge sheet before the additional sessions judge-VI, who also led the GBV court.
The trial ran for six years before the verdict.
The long trial is not unusual for cases of this kind. GBV courts handle a steady flow of cases, and each hearing depends on the availability of the judge, the prosecutor, the defence and the witnesses. In this case, the evidence included CCTV footage and a prompt arrest, yet the proceedings still took six years from the incident to the verdict.
What the sentences mean
The two sentences run at the same time rather than one after the other. That is what Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure allows, and it is why the total time to be served is 25 years, not 32.
Punjab has told the Supreme Court that brutal crimes deserve consecutive prison terms, a position that would see sentences added together rather than served side by side. The debate over when sentences should run one after another remains live in Pakistan’s courts.
The fines stand separately: Rs200,000 for the main conviction and Rs100,000 under the child protection law.
Child protection law in KP
The case was tried under the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act, which provides the legal cover for action against offences involving children in the province. Section 53 of the Act was used alongside Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
GBV courts in the province handle cases of this kind, with prosecutors such as Javed Yousuf presenting the state’s case. The six-year course of this trial shows how slowly such cases can move, even when the evidence includes CCTV footage and a prompt arrest.
Law enforcement agencies in Lahore recently arrested 12 people from two illegal call centres, while a woman was found dead in Karachi and her two young daughters are still missing. Both cases show how the courts and police are dealing with a heavy load of criminal cases across the country.
What happens next
The convict can appeal against the verdict in a higher court. For now, the judgment closes a case that began in July 2020 and ran through six years of hearings.
Frequently asked questions
What sentence did the Haripur court hand down?
The GBV court sentenced Habibur Rehman to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs200,000 fine, plus seven years and a Rs100,000 fine under the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act. Both sentences run concurrently, so he will serve 25 years.
When did the case begin?
The incident took place on July 8, 2020, when a nine-year-old girl was found outside her house in Mohallah Darband, Khalabat Township, Haripur. The trial ran for six years.
How was the suspect identified?
Neighbours identified the suspect with the help of CCTV footage, and the Khalabat Township police arrested him after registering a case.
What do concurrent sentences mean?
Concurrent sentences run at the same time, so the convict serves the longest single term. In this case, that is 25 years, even though the two sentences add up to 32 years.
