Pakistan: Father kills 12-year-old daughter for not making 'gol' roti, death sentence

LAHORE: A Pakistani man has been handed down the death penalty by a court here for killing his 12-year-old daughter last year because she did not make 'gol roti'. An additional district and sessions judge gave the death penalty to Khalid Mehmood, who murdered his daughter and then dumped the body outside a hospital here. Additional District and Sessions Judge Asghar Khan, after hearing arguments from both sides, stated yesterday that such an individual cannot be pardoned who murdered his daughter in cold-blood over a minor dispute. According to the prosecution, the convict registered an FIR, claiming his daughter might have been abducted as she had gone out to buy some food but did not return. Later, the Shadbagh police learnt the girl found dead outside Mayo Hospital was actually killed by her father for not making 'gol roti' (round bread), the Express Tribune reported. Police arrested the girl's father and brother Abuzar after interrogating their neighbours. The suspects confessed they had thrashed the girl, who died of her injuries. The men admitted they dumped the body and filed a false case of kidnapping. After hearing all arguments and examining evidence, the sessions judge announced the decision to award the death penalty to Khalid, who was also fined Rs 500,000. "Khalid and his son kept shedding crocodile tears to hoodwink the police but the mother took off the lid on how brutally they beat the 12-year-old to death," a senior police official had said at the time of their arrest, according to Dawn News.