A landmark verdict from a gender-based-violence court

On Wednesday, 22 October 2026, a local court in Islamabad sentenced a man to death for repeatedly sexually assaulting his stepdaughter over a period of about one year. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Sohail, presiding over a court specially established for gender-based cases, found convict Iftikhar Ahmed Khan guilty under Section 376(1) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The case was registered at the Shahzad Town police station in February 2025 on the complaint of the victim's mother. The victim was a minor, assaulted over roughly a year while her mother was away at work. She gave birth to a child on 2 July 2025, and stated that out of fear she had been unable to tell her mother or her siblings about what was happening. The convict had denied the allegations, but the court found the prosecution's evidence — the victim's own testimony, medical evidence and a DNA report — credible and sufficient to prove guilt.

This article explains the verdict in plain language: what Section 376 of the PPC says, how DNA evidence works in Pakistani courts, what compensation the court ordered for the victim and the child, and why a death sentence passed by a trial court does not become final until the High Court confirms it.

The punishment the court awarded

The sentence is unusually comprehensive, and each part has a distinct legal purpose:

  • Death sentence under Section 376(1) PPC — the maximum punishment for rape under the Penal Code, awarded after the court concluded that the evidence established guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

  • Fine of Rs500,000 — imposed alongside the death sentence. The court ruled that failure to pay the remaining part of the fine would result in additional imprisonment, a standard mechanism under the law that prevents a monetary sentence from becoming meaningless.

  • Rs1 million in damages to the victim — compensation paid to the survivor herself, recognising the harm she suffered.

  • Rs2 million in compensation for the child born as a result of the assault — the court directed that this amount be recovered from the convict's assets, earmarked for the child's care and maintenance.

The convict will remain in Adiala Jail while the next legal steps — appeal and High Court confirmation — run their course.

What Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code says

Section 376 is the provision of the Pakistan Penal Code that punishes rape. In plain terms, it says that a man who commits sexual assault on a woman or girl in any of the circumstances the law defines — including without her consent, or where consent is obtained by fear, threat, deception or fraud — commits the offence of rape.

The punishment under Section 376 can extend to the death sentence or imprisonment for life, along with a fine. The "376(1)" cited in the judgment refers to the first subsection of the section, which carries these maximum punishments.

A few points are worth understanding in plain language:

  • Age matters enormously. Where the victim is a minor, the law treats the offence as among the gravest, because a child cannot give legally valid consent. Courts consistently regard the sexual abuse of a minor — especially in a position of trust, such as a step-parent in the same home — as deserving of the harshest punishment available.

  • Breach of trust aggravates. The convict was not a stranger; he was the victim's stepfather, a person in whose care the family lived. Pakistani courts treat abuse by a person in a position of authority or trust as an aggravating circumstance — meaning it weighs in favour of a severer sentence, not leniency.

  • Delay does not destroy a case. The assault continued for about a year, and the victim, out of fear, could not tell anyone. Courts in Pakistan recognise — and have repeatedly said — that a victim of sexual assault, especially a young one, may be delayed in reporting. Delay by itself is not a reason to disbelieve a survivor, particularly where it is explained by fear.

  • Denial is not enough to create doubt. The convict denied the allegation. A bare denial, with nothing to back it up, carries no weight against corroborated evidence — the testimony of the victim supported by medical findings and a DNA match.

Why the court believed the case: testimony, medical evidence and DNA

Pakistani law does not require any fixed number of witnesses to prove a criminal case. What it requires is that the prosecution prove its case "beyond reasonable doubt." In sexual-assault cases, the testimony of the victim alone can be sufficient to convict — provided the court finds it trustworthy. But here, the prosecution had something more: a chain of corroboration.

  1. The victim's testimony. The survivor gave her statement in court, describing what happened. The court found her evidence credible. In cases of this kind, the victim is often the only direct witness — and the law accepts that her word, if believable, can convict.

  1. Medical evidence. Medical examination corroborated the account. Medical evidence in such cases typically confirms facts like the survivor's pregnancy and delivery, and rules out alternative explanations.

  1. The DNA report. The Punjab Forensic Science Agency's DNA report matched the convict to the child born to the victim. In the chain of evidence, this was the decisive link: the convict denied any sexual contact with the victim, and the DNA match scientifically contradicted that denial.

Each of these supports the others. The testimony says what happened; the medical evidence confirms the consequences (pregnancy and childbirth); the DNA scientifically identifies the convict as the child's father, which — given his denial of any contact — proves the assault. This is why the court called the prosecution's evidence credible and complete.

DNA evidence in Pakistani courts: why it is so powerful

DNA analysis has become one of the most important tools in Pakistani criminal justice, especially in sexual-assault cases. Here is what it means in practice:

  • What a DNA match proves. In a case like this one, the forensic laboratory compares the genetic material of the accused with that of the child born to the victim. A match establishes paternity — that the accused fathered the child — with near-scientific certainty. Where the accused denies any sexual contact at all, a match destroys that denial.

  • Who does the testing. The Punjab Forensic Science Agency in Lahore is Pakistan's principal forensic laboratory. Samples are collected under medical and police supervision, sealed, and sent with a documented chain of custody — each person who handles the sample signs for it. This chain is what makes the result admissible in court.

  • Why it is hard to defeat. Unlike eyewitness testimony, which can be challenged for bias or faulty memory, a DNA report rests on laboratory science. An accused can challenge the chain of custody — argue that samples were mixed up or contaminated — but courts treat a properly documented DNA report as very strong evidence.

  • When there is no DNA. It is important to say plainly: a sexual-assault case does not fail just because there is no DNA evidence. Medical evidence, the victim's credible testimony, witness accounts and circumstantial evidence can and do secure convictions every day. DNA strengthens a case; it is not a prerequisite for one.

Compensation for the victim and the child: how it works

Criminal sentences punish the offender. But modern Pakistani law also recognises that the survivor — and, in a case like this, the innocent child — have suffered losses that money cannot truly repair but can partly address. The court ordered three separate financial payments:

  • The fine (Rs500,000) goes to the state. It is part of the punishment.

  • Damages to the victim (Rs1 million) are compensation for the harm she personally suffered.

  • Compensation for the child (Rs2 million) is for the child's upbringing and maintenance.

The Rs2 million is particularly significant. It is to be recovered from the convict's assets — the law allows the court to attach and sell an offender's property to satisfy such orders. And the court made the default clear: if the fine is not paid, the convict will serve additional imprisonment on top of his sentence. This stops the financial part of the sentence from becoming a paper order that is never enforced.

Two legal principles sit behind these orders. First, the court can award compensation to victims of crime alongside punishment of the offender — the victim should not have to file a separate case to get some measure of redress. Second, a child born of sexual assault has the same right to maintenance as any other child, and courts increasingly fix that responsibility on the offender rather than leaving the burden on the survivor's family.

Why the death sentence must be confirmed: Section 374 of the CrPC

Here is a legal fact that many people do not know: a Sessions Court cannot execute a death sentence on its own authority. Before a death sentence can be carried out, it must be confirmed by the High Court. This is Section 374 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Islamabad court followed it exactly — informing the convict of his right to appeal and referring the case to the Islamabad High Court for confirmation.

In plain terms, here is how it works:

  1. The trial court passes the sentence. The Additional District and Sessions Judge has convicted the accused and awarded the death penalty.

  2. The record goes to the High Court. The trial court sends the entire case file — evidence, statements, the judgment — to the Islamabad High Court, which examines the case afresh.

  3. The convict can appeal. The convict has the right to file an appeal against both the conviction and the sentence. The High Court hears the appeal together with the confirmation proceedings.

  4. The High Court decides. The High Court can confirm the death sentence, convert it into another punishment (such as life imprisonment), acquit the accused if the evidence does not hold up, or order a retrial.

  5. Further appeal. After the High Court's decision, the convict can still approach the Supreme Court — and, in death-penalty cases, eventually petition for mercy. A death sentence in Pakistan travels a long legal road before it is ever carried out.

This multi-layered process exists for one reason: the death penalty is irreversible, so the law builds in repeated checks. The sessions court's verdict is the first, not the last, word.

The gender-based-violence courts

The judgment was passed by a court specially established for gender-based cases. Pakistan has set up dedicated gender-based-violence (GBV) courts to deal with offences like rape, assault and harassment against women and children. The idea is simple:

  • Sensitive handling. Victims — especially minors — give evidence in a setting designed to be less intimidating, with procedures that protect their dignity and, where needed, their identity.

  • Specialised judges. Judges who regularly hear such cases develop experience in handling the evidence and the vulnerable witnesses involved.

  • Speed. These courts are meant to move cases faster than the ordinary backlog-ridden sessions courts, so that justice is not delayed for years.

The conviction in this case, secured with the combination of testimony, medical evidence and forensic science, is an example of what the system is designed to achieve.

If you or someone you know is affected

No article about a case like this should end without saying this plainly: the victim in this case could not speak out for a year because she was afraid. That fear is the most common reason abuse in homes goes unreported, and the law is on the survivor's side the moment she speaks.

  • An FIR for sexual assault can be registered at the nearest police station; most districts now have dedicated women and child protection desks, and the victim's statement can be recorded with a female officer present.

  • The complaint can also be made by a parent, a relative, or anyone aware of the abuse — in this case it was the victim's mother who registered the case.

  • Medical examination should be done as early as possible, but a case is not lost if it is delayed: the law accepts late reporting where fear or coercion explains it.

  • Legal aid is available: district bar councils, legal aid societies and the provincial women's protection authorities can connect survivors with free or low-cost lawyers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the punishment for rape under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code? A: Section 376 provides for the death sentence or imprisonment for life, along with a fine. The court decides the actual sentence based on the facts of each case — the victim's age, whether the offender was in a position of trust, the duration and circumstances of the offence, and the strength of the evidence. In this case, the court awarded the maximum punishment, the death sentence, because the victim was a minor, the offender was her stepfather, and the abuse continued for about a year.

Q: Can the victim's testimony alone convict someone of rape in Pakistan? A: Yes. Under Pakistani law, the testimony of a single credible witness is enough to convict — there is no rule that requires a fixed number of witnesses. In sexual-assault cases, the victim is often the only direct witness, and courts accept that her evidence, if found trustworthy, can be the basis of a conviction. Corroboration — like medical evidence or a DNA report — strengthens the case, but a credible survivor's testimony is not dependent on it.

Q: Why does the Islamabad High Court have to confirm the death sentence? A: Section 374 of the Code of Criminal Procedure says that no death sentence passed by a Sessions Court can be executed unless the High Court confirms it. The High Court reviews the entire record of the case and hears the convict's appeal before deciding whether to confirm the death sentence, convert it to another punishment, or acquit. This is a safeguard built into the law because the death penalty cannot be undone once carried out.

Q: What happens to the convict while the High Court considers the case? A: He stays in prison. In this case, the court ordered that the convict remain in Adiala Jail pending the High Court's decision. The confirmation and appeal proceedings can take many months, and the convict remains incarcerated throughout unless the High Court itself grants some relief — which is rare while a death sentence is under review.

Q: What compensation can a rape survivor get in Pakistan? A: Besides the punishment given to the offender, courts can award compensation (damages) to the survivor, as happened here with the Rs1 million awarded to the victim. Where a child is born as a result of the assault, the court can also order maintenance and compensation for the child — here Rs2 million, recoverable from the convict's assets. If the offender does not pay a fine, the court can order additional imprisonment in its place. A survivor can also pursue a civil claim for damages separately.

Q: How does DNA evidence reach the court in a case like this? A: Samples — for example, from the accused and from the child — are collected under medical and police supervision, sealed, and sent to a forensic laboratory (in this case the Punjab Forensic Science Agency) with a documented chain of custody. The laboratory's report, signed by the examiner, is then produced in court as evidence. If the chain of custody is properly maintained, courts treat the report as strong, nearly conclusive evidence — which is why it carried so much weight in this verdict.

The Bottom Line

The Islamabad verdict is significant not just for its severity but for what it shows about how the system is supposed to work. A frightened young survivor gave her statement; the police registered the case on her mother's complaint; medical examination and forensic science built an evidence chain the accused's bare denial could not break; and a dedicated gender-based-violence court converted that evidence into a conviction and a full set of orders — punishment, fine, damages for the survivor, and maintenance for the child.

Two legal lessons stand out for readers. The first is that science now sits at the heart of sexual-assault trials: a DNA match, properly obtained and documented, is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence a court can see. The second is that a death sentence is never the end of the legal road — Section 374 of the CrPC requires the High Court's confirmation, the convict has a full right of appeal, and the sentence will be examined again, layer by layer, before it can ever be carried out.

The most important lesson, though, belongs to no statute. The abuse in this case went on for a year because the victim was afraid to speak. If this article reaches one person who is afraid — or one family member who suspects something is wrong — let it say this: the law believes survivors, forensic science can prove what words alone cannot, and the first step is telling someone you trust or the police. Justice in this case began the day the victim's mother walked into the Shahzad Town police station.