Islamabad Man Jailed After Spiritual Treatment Leaves Woman Deaf
Civil Judge Mubashir Hassan Chishti sentences Nazir Khan to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and orders Rs9,676,195 in compensation after Zubaida Bibi permanently lost hearing in her left ear during purported spiritual treatment.
ISLAMABAD: A district court in Islamabad has sentenced Nazir Khan to three years’ rigorous imprisonment in a case involving a woman who permanently lost hearing in her left ear after being taken to him for purported spiritual treatment.
Civil Judge Mubashir Hassan Chishti announced the verdict and ordered Nazir Khan to pay Rs9,676,195 as court-awarded financial compensation. The convict, who was present in court when the judgment was announced, was taken into custody immediately after the verdict. The key details of the sentence, compensation and arrest were independently reported on Wednesday by Express Urdu.
Woman Lost Hearing During Purported Treatment
According to the case record reported in the media, complainant Saeedullah Jan had taken his ailing niece, Zubaida Bibi, to Nazir Khan seeking what was described as spiritual treatment. During the purported treatment, Nazir Khan repeatedly struck her around the face and ear while claiming to be removing a supernatural influence.
The reported injuries caused Zubaida Bibi’s left eardrum to rupture, resulting in loss of hearing in that ear. A criminal case was subsequently registered against Nazir Khan at Koral Police Station in Islamabad.
Rs9.67m Compensation Under Legal Framework
The compensation figure in the judgment has particular legal significance. Under the Pakistan Penal Code, permanently destroying or impairing the functioning, power or capacity of an organ is legally defined as itlaf-i-salahiyyat-i-udw. The law provides for arsh and, where applicable, additional imprisonment when such permanent impairment is caused.
The PPC also provides that where an organ exists in a pair and one of the pair is lost or rendered incapable, the prescribed arsh may amount to one-half of the value of diyat.
That legal framework is notable in this case because the federal government has notified the value of diyat for financial year 2026–27 at Rs19,352,390. The Finance Division lists its 2026–27 diyat notification among its official circulars. Half of that notified figure is Rs9,676,195 — exactly the amount ordered in the present case. The publicly available news report, however, does not reproduce the full judgment or specify every penal provision applied by the trial court.
The case underscores that claims of spiritual or traditional treatment do not provide legal protection for conduct resulting in permanent bodily impairment. Pakistan’s criminal law separately recognises permanent loss of an organ’s functioning and provides for financial compensation as well as custodial punishment depending on the circumstances established before the court.
