In a case that has shocked the city of Lahore, a Pakistani court has sentenced a 17-year-old boy to 100 years in prison for the murders of his mother, brother, and two sisters. The killings, authorities say, were the result of a violent outburst fueled by the teen’s intense obsession with the online game PUBG. The judgment, handed down on Wednesday by Additional Sessions Judge Riaz Ahmed, marked the conclusion of one of Lahore’s most harrowing family murder cases.
“The convict brutally killed his entire family under the influence of an online game,” the judge said. “Because of his age, he is being given four life sentences instead of the capital punishment.”
The teenager, Zain Ali, was just 14 years old at the time of the crime. Rather than imposing the death penalty, the court sentenced him to four life terms, 25 years for each of the murders.
A Tragic Home In Lahore
Ali lived with his family in Lahore’s crowded Kahna neighborhood. According to local reports, he was a “diehard PUBG player” who spent most of his time locked in his room, immersed in the game. His mother, Nahid Mubarak, often scolded him for his excessive gaming.
PUBG, a popular online multiplayer game, pits 100 players against each other in a battle royale format, where the last player standing wins. Authorities say Ali’s anger and aggression would flare whenever he failed to meet in-game objectives.
Police told the court that on the day of the murders, Ali lost control after hours of gaming and a confrontation with his mother. In a tragic escalation, he grabbed his mother’s licensed pistol and opened fire in the room where she was sleeping with his younger sisters.
The attack claimed the lives of his mother, 45; elder brother Taimur, 20; and sisters Mahnoor, 15, and Jannat, 10; all killed instantly.
Psychological Impact Of Gaming:
Psychologists say the case highlights the potential dangers of unchecked aggression, gaming addiction, and underlying mental health issues.
Muhammad Ali Khan, a psychologist in Islamabad, told VICE World News that Ali may have had deeper psychiatric conditions.
“Although it is not possible to ascertain what the perpetrator was thinking unless a one-on-one assessment is performed, a number of psychiatric diagnoses come to mind, including a psychotic break, problems with anger management, depression, bipolar disorder as well as impulse control disorder,,” Khan explained.
Judge Riaz Ahmed echoed this concern in his ruling, noting that Ali’s actions were driven by an addiction in which “a game became more powerful than family bonds.”
