Man sentenced to death in Pakistan for killing 20-year-old wife

A Pakistani court sentenced a man to death on Tuesday for killing his 20-year-old wife, concluding a case that gripped national attention for more than a year.

An Additional District and Sessions Court in the city of Multan in Punjab province found Muhammad Ali Raza guilty of murdering his wife, Syeda Sania Zehra, under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Judge Mohsin Ali Khan also handed life imprisonment to two members of Zehra’s extended family — her mother-in-law, Azra Parveen, and her brother-in-law, Ali Haider — along with fines of PKR 500,000 each.

Three other suspects were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

What’s the case?

The case began on July 9, 2024, when Zehra, a mother of two, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her home. Her in-laws reported the death as a suicide, but her father insisted she had been killed and accused the family of staging the scene to hide violence.

Police initially registered a criminal complaint at the New Multan police station under sections related to murder, rioting, and unlawful assembly.

A court later ordered the exhumation of the body, and a medical team conducted a second autopsy on July 13. The report said the ligature marks were consistent with hanging and determined asphyxia due to hanging as the cause of death. It noted the hyoid bone was intact, found no visible injuries, and confirmed Zehra was not pregnant, contrary to her father’s claims. Samples from major organs were sent to Punjab Forensic Science Agency for toxicology testing.

Violence Against Women Center Multan manager Munaza Butt, who witnessed the exhumation, said all legal requirements were followed.

On July 20, 2024, police arrested Raza again after a second complaint. This one accused him of forgery, cheating, using forged documents, contracting a second marriage while the first remained valid, and concealing the earlier marriage.

According to the complaint, Raza declared himself single before marrying Zehra despite already having a wife and two daughters. Zehra’s father alleged the marriage was arranged to gain access to her property.

Before his rearrest, Raza told reporters he was innocent, claimed Zehra had taken her own life, and accused her family of blackmail. He also alleged mishandling by police during the investigation.

‘Fought alone for my daughter’

Speaking to the media after the verdict, Sania Zehra’s father, Syed Asad Abbas Shah, said he had fought this battle alone for his daughter.

“Today, justice has prevailed — this is a victory for the courts,” he said, adding that he hopes this judgment will send a clear message: "no one will dare to take the life of another daughter again."