Booni, Sept 29, 2025: The Additional Sessions Court of Upper Chitral in Booni has sentenced Akram Nawaz to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs2 million for the murder of engineering student Rafiq Ali from Reshun last year.
Rafiq Ali, a final-year engineering student, was killed in April last year in an incident that left the valley in shock. He left home on April 20 evening and did not return. The following morning, his body was found along the river in Kulum Shughoor near Reshun with his motorcycle lying nearby.
Initially, police only recorded the incident in their daily diary without registering a proper FIR. On April 25, the victim’s brother Muhammad Ali lodged a formal complaint at the Booni police station, accusing Akram Nawaz, son of Gul Nawaz of Reshun Gol, of killing his brother.
He later recorded his statement in court under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, after which the FIR was registered.
The complainant accused the suspect of torturing and stoning his brother to death. The police arrested the accused soon afterwards, and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime.
After months of proceedings, Additional Sessions Judge Abdul Wahab Qureshi announced the verdict today, sentencing the convict to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs2 million.
The case was pursued in court by senior lawyer Advocate Gul Murad Khan.
This is mockery of justice. The killer should get capital punishment. But police and prosecution failed to make a strong case and the culprit will get out of jail after a few years.