KARACHI: A sessions’ court on Thursday awarded a collective sentence of 21-year in jail to a man for subjecting his wife to severe physical torture and taking her obscene pictures.

Aamir Baloch was found guilty of beating, torturing and burning the private parts of his wife (Asma) within the jurisdiction of New Karachi police station in November 2016.

On Thursday, the Additional District and Sessions’ Judge (Central) pronounced her verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

She noted that the “prosecution produced sufficient evidence against the accused person who was unfortunately husband of the complainant/victim, but he kept merciless behaviour with his own wife and he treated the complainant/victim lesser than an animal”.

“The act of accused is so much merciless which is unbearable, as wife is the life partner of husband and our religion as well as Holy Prophet gave lesson and direction to keep the wife happy, but in present case, the accused kept her as slave”, observed the judge.

The judge further observed that “the current value of society does not allow to happen such or similar atrocities to human being. In the light of above circumstances, I have come to the conclusion that the prosecution has succeeded to prove its case against the accused beyond any shadow of doubt”.

Therefore, the judge awarded a collective sentence of 21-year and three-month imprisonment to Aamir Baloch. He was also ordered to pay Rs25,000 as compensation (Daman) to the victim.

Earlier, the state prosecutor Zabiha Khattak argued that the complainant was married and living with the accused since 14 years along with his parents. The couple has two kids.

The prosecutor added that after the passage of sometime of their marriage the accused started maltreating the complainant and in 2015, he severely maltreated her with fists, kicks and with large spoons and also confined her in the house.

She escaped many times from the house, but he retrieved her back. Now, since one and half years, her husband chained and confined her in his house and also maltreated her, stated the prosecutor.

She added that the accused also shaved her hair and eyebrows, adding that due to maltreatment she sustained internal and external injuries on her body.

“During the maltreatment, her husband also committed unnatural offence act with her and also burnt both side.

She further stated that her husband in order to fulfill his sexual desire, gave her sex medicine and also used the same. He also orders her to roam in the house without dress and also took her nude photographs”, stated the prosecutor.

The complainant also deposed that she got married with the accused on June 07, 2002 adding that after 2015 he frequently used to physically torture her.

“The accused had broken my ear bone with a water bottle. The accused had burnt me with spoons and he had also burnt my private parts”, she testified.

In his statement, recorded under the Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the accused denied the allegations and claimed that his wife had levelled false allegations against him. Therefore, he pleaded to acquit him of the false accusations.

Source: Dawn