The retrial of the Pakistani-American woman Wajiha Swati's murder case has been concluded, with Additional Session Judge Majid Hussain Gadhi upholding the sentences previously handed down by the trial court.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the court has maintained the death sentence for the victim's former husband, Rizwan Habib, who was convicted of murder.
In addition, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping the woman and 7 years for concealing her body and evidence. A fine of 700,000 rupees was also upheld.
The co-conspirator, Sultan, was sentenced to 7 years in prison along with a fine of 100,000 rupees, which the court also maintained.
Due to the death of the main accused’s father, Haritullah, the retrial had been delayed earlier.
The case was originally pursued by Abdul Aziz Qazi, the plaintiff's lawyer. The additional session judge, Afzal Majooca, had sentenced the accused on November 12, 2022. The convicts had filed an appeal in the High Court, which had ordered a retrial.
The case was initially registered at Morgah Police Station, following a complaint filed by Abdullah Mehdi, the victim’s son, who resides in the United States.
During the investigation, the accused confessed to the crime, and based on their information, Wajiha Swati's body was exhumed in Kohat two months later. The accused had brought her from the U.S. over a property dispute, killed her at home, and buried her in their ancestral house in Kohat.
Reporter: Irshad Qureshi