The Man Who Stabbed a Woman 23 Times in Broad Daylight Is Out of Jail

A man convicted of stabbing a woman 23 times in the Pakistani city of Lahore has been granted early release from jail. Shah Hussain, the son of an influential lawyer, was freed after serving three and a half years under a reduced prison sentence of five years. 

The news has sparked outrage in Pakistan, which is still reeling from the brutal beheading of Noor Mukadam, the daughter of an ex-diplomat, a week ago in the capital Islamabad.

In May of 2016, Hussain attacked his classmate Khadija Siddiqi with a knife outside her sister’s school. Siddiqi was repeatedly stabbed and sustained severe injuries across her neck, back, and right arm. Her younger sister, who was six at the time, tried to shield Siddiqi during the incident and received a stab wound on her back. 

According to Siddiqi, she was not officially informed that her attacker was being released. “It was shocking that the state, which is supposed to be my protector, did not inform me,” she said. 

“I wasn’t made party to the case filed in court, even though that case didn’t decide anything in relation to the release. It was the jail authorities and the state that allowed such a generous reduction in time served,” she added.

With Hussain’s release closely coinciding with Zahir Jaffer’s alleged murder of Noor Mukadam, Siddiqi draws parallels to herself and the deceased victim. 

“When I think about Noor, I see myself in her because [Hussain’s] main focus was on my neck, to cut it off,” said Siddiqi. 

Prior to the assault, Siddiqi had rejected Hussain’s advances after which he hacked into her social media accounts and began to blackmail and stalk her. Reportedly, Jaffer’s marriage proposal had similarly been rejected by Mukadam. 

Hussain was convicted a year after the assault and was handed a seven-year sentence that was decreased to five years. In June of 2018, Hussain received an acquittal, which was challenged by an appeal by Siddiqi’s lawyers and eventually overturned. 

But in the end, he only served a little more than three years. “Whoever has committed a wrong should be punished. If they are not or [if] their prison term is reduced, then it will give other men the confidence to stab someone 23 times or to murder,” said Mahnaz Rahman, the director of women’s rights non-profit Aurat Foundation. 

Like Jaffer, Hussain hails from a prominent family. His father, Tanvir Hashmi, is a senior lawyer with powerful connections. “Hussain is the son of a lawyer, which is as good as being a lawyer. Senior Bar lawyers were representing the kid. Not just one, nearly a dozen were,” said Siddiqi’s lawyer, Hassaan Niazi. 

According to Niazi, a convict’s good behaviour typically only leads to a maximum reduction of four months from their prison sentence. 

“Nobody can answer the question as to the legal grounds of his release,” said Niazi. 

In a video statement, the Punjab Minister of Prisons said that Hussain did not receive legal remission from any government official. According to him, Hussain earned technical remissions for demonstrating good character, educational attainment, blood donations and labour.  

“If it had been a remission for one or two months, it would have made sense, but we are roughly talking about 18 months. This is where we are confused about how he got this big favour,” said Niazi. 

For Rahman, the decision sends a harsh message to survivors of gender-based violence. “Women in this country have been rendered victims. How will women receive protection in such a society?” said Rahman.

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