RAWALPINDI: The trial of the murder case of 19-year-old married woman Sidra Arab has been transferred to the Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), Rawalpindi, following the inclusion of terrorism-related and lynching provisions in the FIR.
Initially, the case was being heard in a sessions court, where the accused had already been indicted and a challan submitted. However, after the incorporation of Sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and 11WW, the case was shifted to the ATC on the directives of the prosecutor general. A fresh challan has now also been submitted, while the court has assigned Inspector Tariq Gondal to lead further investigation.
Earlier, 19-year-old Sidra Arab was allegedly killed in an honour-related incident on July 16 last year in the Pirwadhai area, reportedly on the orders of a jirga. After her burial, her grave was later allegedly desecrated, including the exhumation and removal of identifying marks, prompting police action.
Following the incident, Pirwadhai police registered a case and arrested 13 suspects, including close relatives of the victim such as her father, brother, uncle, former husband, and a cemetery official. The accused had later secured bail after spending around eight months in custody. The case will now proceed before the Anti-Terrorism Court.
