KARACHI: An Additional District and Sessions Judge in Karachi (West) sentenced Muhammad Nauman to life imprisonment for the murder of a transgender person, Majid Saeed Mughal, in September 2022. Judge Gada Hussain Abro announced the verdict after finding the accused guilty of Qatl-i-Amd.
The court explained its decision to award life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. The judge noted that higher courts have ruled that capital punishment is not mandatory in every murder case. Life imprisonment remains a lawful alternative when mitigating circumstances exist.
The court observed that the convict was a young man with no prior criminal record. The judge said these factors justified leniency in sentencing. The court also imposed a fine of Rs500,000. It ordered the convict to pay the amount to the legal heirs of the victim as compensation.
State prosecutor Syed Athar Hussain Shah outlined the case details during the trial. He said the complainant was at his home in Block-C, Alamgir Road, Shershah, on September 1, 2022. A boy informed him that his brother, Majid Saeed, had been stabbed to death in a nearby street.
Police later arrested Muhammad Nauman and charged him with murder. The prosecutor said the accused held animosity toward the victim. He claimed the accused believed the victim was spreading vulgarity in the area.
During the trial, a witness testified that he encountered the accused on the day of the incident. The witness said the accused carried a dagger and had blood-stained clothes. The court accepted the witness identification. Police also recovered the murder weapon on the accused’s indication.
The accused denied the charges and claimed false implication. The case was registered at Shershah police station under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
