ISLAMABAD – A special anti-rape court in Islamabad has sentenced a man named Iftikhar Ahmed Khan to death for raping his stepdaughter, ruling that her testimony, medical evidence and DNA findings sufficiently established the prosecution’s case.
The judgment was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge-I and Special Anti-Rape Court (East) Islamabad Judge Muhammad Sohail. The death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Islamabad High Court.
The case was registered on February 5, 2025, at Shahzad Town Police Station following a complaint by the victim’s mother under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
According to the court’s judgment, the victim told the court that her stepfather had subjected her to sexual abuse for approximately a year. She discovered in February 2025 that she was around five months pregnant, after which her mother approached the police.
The prosecution presented 11 witnesses during the trial. The accused denied the allegations and claimed he had been falsely implicated in the case, but the court rejected his defence.
DNA Evidence Supports Prosecution Case
The judgment referred to a supplementary DNA report issued by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA), which stated that Iftikhar Ahmed Khan could not be excluded as the biological father of the newborn.
The report recorded a probability of paternity of 99.9999996 per cent and a combined paternity index of 277,507,014.
According to the court record, the victim gave birth to a boy at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, on July 2, 2025.
The court observed that the victim’s testimony remained consistent on key aspects of the case and was corroborated by the DNA findings. It also noted her statement that fear had prevented her from informing her mother and siblings about the abuse.
Court Addresses Initial Forensic Report
The judgment also examined the initial forensic findings from the victim’s medical examination.
According to the court record, samples collected during the examination did not reveal traces of semen in a forensic report dated February 28, 2025.
However, DNA testing was subsequently conducted using samples from the newborn. The supplementary report was issued on January 2, 2026.
The court held that the absence of semen in the initial samples did not negate the significance of the later DNA evidence.
It further observed that the absence of visible injuries does not necessarily disprove an allegation of sexual assault, particularly in circumstances involving an accused who is the head of the household and the victim’s parent.
Fine and Compensation Ordered
In addition to the death sentence under Section 376(1) of the Pakistan Penal Code, the court imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the convict.
The judgment states that failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months of imprisonment.
The court also directed the convict to pay Rs1 million in compensation to the victim and Rs2 million to her son, bringing the total compensation to Rs3 million.
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