Sania Zehra murder case: Husband Ali Raza sentenced to death

A Multan sessions court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for murdering his 20-year-old pregnant wife Sania Zehra. The main culprit's mother and brother were also handed prison sentences. Sania Zehra’s hanging body was recovered from a room in her in-laws’ house. 

After several months of hearings, witness testimonies, and legal arguments in the Zahra murder case, the Sessions Court finally delivered its verdict, holding those responsible for the brutal murder of Sania.

The incident took place last year in August when the Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari confimred to the media that "No evidence of suicide was found in the Sania Zehra case. The mother-in-law and husband had put a noose around the girl's neck together."

Bukhari explained that the forensic lab report and injury marks on Sania Zehra's neck and shoulder prove it was a murder case. 

Additional Sessions Judge Mohsin Ali Khan, while announcing the verdict, sentenced the main accused and the deceased’s husband, Ali Raza, to death.

The police presented Ali Raza in handcuffs before the court at the time of the verdict. The court also sentenced two other accused named in the case, the deceased’s brother-in-law Haider Raza and mother-in-law Azra Jeewan Shah, to life imprisonment.

According to the judicial decision, father-in-law Jeewan Shah, sister-in-law Dua Zahra, and Ali Raza’s former wife Madiha were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

According to the case record, on July 9, 2024, Sania Zahra’s hanging body was recovered from a room in her in-laws’ house. Following this, a case was registered at New Multan Police Station by the deceased’s father, Asad Abbas Shah, against six individuals, including the husband.

Deputy Prosecutor Mian Bilal Naeem presented arguments in light of the evidence on behalf of the prosecution, while the plaintiff’s lawyers, Shahriyar Ahsan and Mian Rizwan Sattar, completed their final arguments.

The accused were defended by lawyer Zia-ur-Rehman Randhawa. After several months of proceedings, the case reached its logical conclusion following the court’s decision.