PAKISTAN DEATH SENTENCE AWARDED IN INFANT KILLING CASE

an anti-terrorism court in Karachi, Pakistan, issued the death penalty on two counts to a man for kidnapping an infant for ransom and murdering her. Asadullah, 21, was prosecuted for killing his two-year-old relative, Laiba, after kidnapping her from North Nazimabad for ransom in April 2006. Judge Samtio also ordered confiscation of the convict’s property worth up to Rs.1 million and imposed a fine of Rs.1 million. The convict was also directed to pay Rs.1 million as compensation to the parents of the victim. According to the prosecution, the accused demanded a ransom of Rs1.5 million. After negotiations, the family paid Rs.300,000 but the accused instead of releasing the kidnapped, killed her and dumped her body in a nearby cricket ground.