A court in Rawalpindi on Tuesday handed down multiple death sentences to eight individuals convicted in the notorious 2020 massacre in Chauntra, where nine family members, including women and children, were fatally shot in a violent attack rooted in an old feud.
Additional Sessions Judge Majid Hussain Gadhi delivered the verdict, imposing five death sentences each on the convicts identified as Danish, Babar, Akram, Rab Nawaz, Abid, Ashraf, and others for their involvement in the killings.
The court held the accused responsible for the brutal assault that occurred on July 25, 2020, which resulted in the deaths of five women, three minor girls, and one man. Police characterized the incident as a targeted attack linked to a longstanding family dispute.
the prosecution, the suspects forcibly entered a residence in Chauntra village and opened fire indiscriminately, killing nine individuals instantly and injuring three others.
The case was registered following a complaint by Nazar Abbas under sections 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder), 148, 149, 449 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with provisions of anti-terrorism laws. The FIR named 15 suspects and 10 unidentified persons.
Investigations were conducted by multiple police teams under successive City Police Officers, supported by Elite Force and Rangers, before the challan was submitted to the court.
Several suspects were arrested by Chauntra police, while key accused Rab Nawaz and his son Danish Nawaz evaded capture for some time before being located.
In a prior verdict related to the same case, death sentences were awarded to four principal convicts, including Rab Nawaz, Danish Nawaz, Muhammad Ashraf, and Muhammad Aqib, for their direct participation in the killings. Another convict, Ikram Nawaz, received life imprisonment on multiple charges, while others were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
This recent judgment reinforces the earlier convictions in one of the most heinous family feud-related murders in the region, which sparked widespread public outrage due to the involvement of women and children among the victims.
