PESHAWAR: A child protection court on Saturday convicted a cleric for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl here two years ago and sentenced him to death with a fine of Rs100, 000.

Judge Wadeeya Mustaq Malik ruled that Qari Saeed based in Peshawar was found guilty of an offence of rape and was convicted under Section 376(3) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The court also ruled that as the girl had suffered mental and physical anguish and long life trauma, so the convict should compulsorily pay a fine of Rs300, 000 to her in the form of saving certificates to be withdrawn by her on attaining the age of 18 years.

“As far as the quantum of sentence is concerned, no mitigating circumstances could be found and rather, aggravating circumstances exist. The rape was committed of a girl aged eight years,” he ruled, adding that the convict was a mosque’s pesh imam (prayer leader), who committed the crime in one of its rooms.

Newspaper: Dawn