A judicial magistrate in Karachi has sentenced a man to nine years in prison for sharing sexually explicit videos and images of a woman with her in-laws through a WhatsApp group, court records showed on Friday.
Judicial Magistrate (East) Gulraiz Memon delivered the verdict against Ammad Husain, finding him guilty on three counts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The charges were registered with the Federal Investigation Agency’s cybercrime wing under Section 20 (dignity of natural persons), Section 21 (modesty of natural persons or minors), and Section 24 (cyberstalking).
Husain received a three-year prison term for each count, with all sentences to run concurrently. The court also imposed a fine of Rs135,000 and ordered him to pay Rs1 million in compensation to the victim. The judgement stipulates that failure to pay the fine or compensation will result in additional imprisonment.
In his ruling, Magistrate Memon noted the motive behind the crime. He said that after the victim refused to continue a “physical connection,” Husain “got annoyed and displayed the illicit videos to take revenge on the victim and her family.”
The magistrate also highlighted the societal dimension of the case, stating: “This is a classic example of patriarchal, facile masculinity and misogynistic approach prevailing in this society where the pendulum of male domination of the public has been violent, contested and culturally visible, especially in the given circumstances of this case, where a male cannot swallow a ‘NO’ to his demands.”
He further said, “Unfortunately, or/and misfortunately, there is no contemplation toward the wish and desire of a woman … A consent to talk or share some personal space with a male person, without going into its legitimacy, does not mean at all that that personal space be violated and publicly shared without her consent. Because ‘NO’ always remains ‘NO’ and no one can make a woman feel inferior without her consent.”
The magistrate also urged that governmental and civil society intervention, noting: “Our government must take serious steps to address such problems by educating the public at large while our civil society should enhance their capabilities to reach the masses and make them aware effectively, while from my side, it should be pacified by giving the culprits harsher retributive penalties.”
During the trial, Federal Investigation Agency prosecutor Sheraz Rajpar told the court that Husain and the victim had a prior relationship. He said that Husain blackmailed her and attempted to involve his friends, and when the complainant refused, he shared her explicit videos with her family and in-laws on a WhatsApp group.
The defence argued that Husain was falsely implicated. They claimed that the forensic report had been “manipulated and forged” and did not specify with whom or when the videos were shared, casting doubt on the prosecution’s case.
