Life term for father, uncle over girl’s murder

QUETTA: An additional district and sessions court on Saturday sentenced the father and maternal uncle of 14-year-old Pakistani-American girl Hira Anwar to life imprisonment for her murder.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahid Javed announced the verdict after completing the trial and hearing arguments from both sides.

According to the judgement, the court convicted Hira’s father, Anwar-ul-Haq Rajput, and her maternal uncle, Muhammad Tayyab Bhatti, and sentenced both men to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on each convict.

According to the prosecution, the two men shot and killed Hira on Jan 27, 2025, in Quetta’s Balochi Street area. The case was investigated by the Serious Crime Investigation Wing.

Initially, Hira’s father had lodged an FIR at the Gawalmandi Police Station against unidentified assailants, claiming that his daughter had been shot by unknown gunmen. However, police investigations, witness statements and forensic evidence later pointed to the involvement of family members.

Authorities said the father strongly objected to Hira’s social media activity and lifestyle.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2026 ...