ATC awards life term to four for burying five women alive

JAFARABAD, Mar 09: QUETTA : The Anti-Terrorist Court here on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to four of the accused for burying five women alive.

ATC Judge Mohammad Alam Mengal acquitted 16 others in the same case. However, one accused Zahid Ali was sentenced to six months in prison.

The four awarded life imprisonment include Ghous Bakhsh, Rehmatullah, Mir Allah Bakhsh and Mohammad Arif.

The burying alive of five women in the Jaffarabad area of Balochistan was reported in August 2008, which prompted a countrywide outrage.

According to an Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) report, the incident of the women’ alive burial occurred in a remote village, Baba Kot, 80 kilometers away from Usta Mohammad city of Jafferabad district.

These five women – Ms. Fatima wife of Umeed Ali Umrani, 45, Ms. Jannat Bibi wife of Qaiser Khan, 38, Ms. Fauzia daughter of Ata Mohammad Umrani 18, and two other teenage girls – were buried alive reportedly for betraying tribal traditions. INP