In a highly significant and high-profile murder case, the Peshawar High Court’s Dera Ismail Khan bench has upheld the death sentences of two accused women. This shocking incident is linked to the brutal stabbing and murder of a madrasa teacher in Dera Ismail Khan, who was allegedly killed for blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.
A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court, comprising Justice Ms. Farah Jamshed and Justice Inamullah Khan, rejected the appeals against the death sentences of Razia Hanafi, 20, and Umra Aman Hanafi, 25. The sentence of life imprisonment for the minor, 16-year-old Aisha Laghmani also remained in place.
This tragic incident occurred on March 29, 2022, in the Anjumabad area of Dera Ismail Khan, under the jurisdiction of the Cantt Police Station. The three students from Jamia Islamia Falah-ul-Banat stopped their teacher, 18-year-old S. Bibi from the Mehsud tribe, in front of the madrasa gate at 7 AM and mercilessly stabbed her to death.
Following this horrific event, the entire area was gripped by fear and terror.
According to the investigation report, the accused students stated in their initial statements to the police that a friend from the madrasa had told them in a dream that the deceased teacher had committed blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad and that they would be granted paradise if they killed her. As a result of this “dream,” they committed this great sin. The police recovered the way knives and a stick from the three accused students after their arrest.
On March 18, 2024, after the crime was proven, Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Jamil sentenced the two students to death and a fine of 2 million rupees each, and the minor student to life imprisonment and a fine of 1 million rupees. The case was pursued by Supreme Court lawyers Muhammad Naveed Mehsud and Haji Shakeel on behalf of the deceased teacher’s family.
This case is considered one of the most tragic events in the history of Dera Ismail Khan. Following the Peshawar High Court’s decision, it has now reached its final stage and has become a subject of intense discussion in legal and public circles.
