QUETTA: A district and sessions court has acquitted the main accused in the murder of his three siblings after the parents told the court that they had forgiven their son.

Accused Qais, who is 17 years old, was produced in the court of the additional sessions judge, where the parents that the accused made a mistake and they had forgiven him.

The father of the accused and the three victims, Nasir Achakzai, is an respected orthopedic surgeon in Quetta.

On September 27, the brothers were returning from a wedding when it was reported that three of them had been shot dead in a firing incident on their vehicle on Joint Road, Railway Colony.

The deceased included 25-year-old Zarian Khan, 20-year-old Sadran and 8-year-old Zaran Khan. Two others, a driver and a young helper, were also shot but survived while Qais was unhurt in the incident.

Balochistan Inspector General Abdul Khaliq Sheikh had sought a report of the incident the Quetta police chief. The investigation revealed that the accused Qais had killed his brothers.

Diyat

Under Pakistan’s laws, victims or their families can pardon the accused in a number of serious crimes. This includes most instances of murder. This is provided legal cover under sections 309 and 310 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In the first provision, legal heirs can forgive the murderer in the name of God without getting any monetary compensation in the form of Diyat, while under section 310 the legal heirs can compromise after receiving Diyat in their respective shares.