Pak court upholds death sentence for man who raped and killed minor

LAHORE: A Pakistani court has upheld the death sentence given to a man convicted of the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, a crime that shook the country and sparked outrage and protests.

An anti-terrorism court last month sentenced to death 23-year-old Imran Ali on four counts – murdering a child, kidnapping a child, rape of a minor, and committing an unnatural act with a minor – in one of Pakistan’s shortest trials for such a crime lasting just four days.

Ali was also sentenced to life imprisonment and given another seven-year jail term in addition to the death penalty.

The Lahore high court upheld the anti-terrorism court’s verdict on Tuesday and dismissed an appeal by Ali, who contended the ruling was made in haste without following legal procedures.

Ali’s lawyer Asad Jamal questioned the admissibility of DNA findings that the anti-terrorism court had relied on. He said there was a misconception that the DNA test was foolproof evidence. Ali said he should be treated with leniency because he had saved the court’s time by confessing .

Additional prosecutor general Abdul Samad said the anti-terrorism court had awarded its punishment in light of Ali’s confession, DNA analysis and testimony by witnesses.

ALI WAS ARRESTED TWO WEEKS AFTER HE RAPED AND KILLED THE GIRL AND DUMPED HER BODY IN A RUBBISH HEAP, TRIGGERING OUTRAGE ACROSS PAKISTAN.