Imtiaz and Naeem were booked overcharges of kidnapping and murdering a five-year-old child Inam in Charsadda in 2008
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-March 12nd, 2025) The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday acquitted two prisoners who were sentenced to death 17 years ago for the alleged murder of a five-year old child.
A SC three-member bench le by Justice Hashim Khan Kakar and comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard the case and acquitted the two death row convicts due to a lack of evidence.
The acquitted individuals namely Imtiaz and Naeem were accused of kidnapping and murdering a five-year-old child Inam in Charsadda in 2008.
A trial court had sentenced them to death under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Later, the Peshawar High Court commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment. The convicts filed an appeal against the high court's decision after seven years.
The Supreme Court bench emphasized that in cases involving the death penalty or life imprisonment, verifying the authenticity and legality of evidence is of utmost importance. The ruling held that if a confession is later retracted and serves as the sole piece of evidence, relying on it legally, ethically and practically becomes difficult.
The court further observed that sentencing an individual to death solely based on a withdrawn confession is an extremely delicate and questionable practice.
