Supreme Court cuts woman’s life term to 14 years in husband murder case

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reduced the life imprisonment sentence of a woman convicted of killing her husband, converting it to a 14-year prison term.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reduced the life imprisonment sentence of a woman convicted of killing her husband, converting it to a 14-year prison term.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar heard the case. During the proceedings, the defense argued that the woman’s unemployed husband had subjected her to repeated domestic violence and frequently pressured her to obtain money from her parents.

According to the defense counsel, the couple had four children and the woman’s mother often provided financial assistance. However, on the final occasion, her mother refused to provide more money, after which the husband allegedly assaulted her again.

The lawyer told the court that the woman reacted after facing continuous abuse and threats to her dignity. The court was informed that she has been imprisoned since 2016 and has already spent nearly ten years behind bars.

The prosecution maintained that the woman struck her husband on the head, resulting in his death. During the hearing, Justice Hashim Kakar remarked that cases usually involve husbands killing their wives and that this was the first case of its kind he had personally encountered where a wife had killed her husband.

Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim noted that the woman’s two brothers had also been nominated in the case but were later acquitted.

Justice Kakar further observed that if the court relied solely on the prosecution’s evidence, all three accused might have been acquitted due to weaknesses in the case.

After reviewing the arguments and evidence, the Supreme Court announced its verdict, reducing convict Afshan Sehar’s life sentence to 14 years of imprisonment. The ruling means that the period she has already spent in jail will be taken into account under the revised sentence.