Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL
The Peshawar High Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to a man convicted of murdering his wife, a Sub-Divisional Education Officer (SDEO) in Landikotal three years ago.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Inamullah Khan rejected the convict’s plea seeking commutation of his death sentence on humanitarian grounds, including the argument that he had three minor children.
The convict, Najeebullah, was sentenced to death by the District and Sessions Judge, Khyber, on December 13, 2025, for the murder of Rizwana Shaheen. The trial court had also directed him to pay Rs1 million as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased.
Rizwana Shaheen was found dead in a pool of blood at her official residence inside a government school in Merikhel, Landikotal, on June 17, 2023. She had sustained multiple injuries from a sharp-edged weapon.
According to the FIR, school watchman Murad Ali, the complainant, reached the school and found the SDEO’s quarter unattended. Upon entering, he found Rizwana critically injured and later confirmed dead.
The accused was subsequently arrested and according to the prosecution, led police to the recovery of the alleged murder weapon and blood-stained clothes from Domel area of Bannu.
The prosecution said Najeebullah had no permanent source of income and was largely dependent on his wife for his livelihood.He also recorded a confessional statement before a magistrate.
Two minor daughters were present at the residence at the time of the incident. One of them, Arisha, appeared as a prosecution witness and testified against her father.
In its 44-page judgment, the high court observed that the prosecution case did not rest solely on circumstantial evidence and held that the convict’s judicial confession was voluntary and legally admissible.
The defence counsel argued that even if Najeebullah was not entitled to acquittal, his death sentence should be commuted because the deceased was his wife and their three children would face an uncertain future if their father was executed.
The bench rejected the plea, observing that Najeebullah’s conduct after the murder—including fleeing the scene and leaving the children alone without reporting the incident—along with the subsequent recovery of the alleged murder weapon, constituted strong evidence against him.
The court held that the mere presence of children or humanitarian considerations could not be viewed in isolation, noting that the children had also lost their mother, including her care and financial support.
The bench further noted that the couple had a history of strained relations and that Rizwana had previously filed a suit for dissolution of marriage on grounds of violence. The dispute was later settled following intervention by local elders.
The court concluded that the murder was not the result of a sudden quarrel but appeared to be a deliberate act. It consequently dismissed the convict’s plea for mercy and upheld the death sentence.
