Pak in uproar as man who stabbed student 23 times acquitted

: The Lahore high court’s decision to acquit a man accused of stabbing a young woman 23 times has triggered outrage across Pakistan, with many rights activists seeking the intervention of the country’s Chief Justice.

Khadija Siddiqui, a law student, had gone to Davis Road in Lahore on May 3, 2016 to pick up her sister from school and when they were about to get into the car, she was attacked by a helmetwearing man. Siddiqui’s younger sister was also injured.

As the attacker tried to flee, his helmet fell off when Siddiqui grabbed him and she recognised him as a classmate named Shah Hussain. She said Hussian used to harass her before the attack. Her sister recorded a statement with the police and recognised Hussain as the assailant in the courtroom.

A judicial magistrate gave Hussain a seven-year prison term in July 2017. However, an appellate court reduced the sentence to five years in March after Hussain challenged his conviction.

Hussain then approached the Lahore high court, which acquitted him of all charges on Monday.

Advocate Hassan Rizvi, the counsel for Siddiqui, said they would challenge the high court’s decision in the Supreme Court.

The judge who originally tried the case had held that Hussain had stabbed Siddiqui mercilessly as severe injuries on her vital body parts clearly proved he wanted to kill her. Nothing was in favour of Hussain even after the cross-examination of witnesses, the ruling said.

“The prosecution has established the case without any shadow of even a minor doubt,” the judge had observed.

Following Monday’s order, famous personalities such as Mahira Khan, Mawra Hocane, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Jibran Nasir came forward to support Siddiqui. HTC

ISLAMABAD