A court in Pakistan awarded the death penalty to a cleric for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl two years back, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 300,000. 

The cleric had lured the girl to a mosque in Peshwar and raped her there in 2019. The girl’s father then had registered a police complaint, according to a report in Dawn. 

“Sole testimony of the victim of an offense if inspires confidence can be safely relied upon for the purpose of conviction and when as the rule of prudence same is supported through confirmatory medical evidence not a single circumstances can be inferred for false implication of the accused facing trial at the behest of police,” Judge Wadeeya Mushtaq Malik said. 

The order further stated, “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.” 

The girl had suffered mental and physical anguish and a lifelong trauma, the court ruled. It also ruled that the convict must pay a fine of Rs 300,000 in form of saving certificates which would be withdrawn by the girl as she turns 18. 

On the other hand, the cleric, Qari Saeed, said he was being falsely being implicated in the charges at the behest of the Ahmedi community as he remained very vocal against them.