PAKISTAN: SIX SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER

An additional sessions judge, Chaudhary Ghulam Murtaza, in Toba Tek Singh, Pakistan, sentenced three men to death on five counts and three others to death on four counts in a murder case.
After recording statements on witnesses, the court found Kashif, Shahid, Rashid, Ghulam Sabir, Ghulam Jilani and Abdur Rauf guilty of the offence and sentenced them to death. They were given an additional three year prison term and directed to pay Rs50,000 each in fine. The court also directed each of them to pay Rs400,000 in compensation to the family of the deceased.
Three more arrested in the case, Younus, Mukhtar and Muhammad Ashiq, were given the benefit of doubt and acquitted.
These men were arrested on charges of killing five people of Rizwan Sarwar’s family after he had eloped with a girl from their family and married her in a court in February 2009.
The deceased were identified as Rizwan’s mother Tanveer Bibi, sister Sadaf and brothers Ahmad Ali, Adnan Sarwar and Farhan Sarwar.