swift justice: 4 death verdicts for Zainab killer
lahore — A Pakistani court on Saturday handed four death sentences to a man charged with raping and murdering a six-year-old girl, in a case that shocked the country and sparked major riots in his home district.
Imran Ali, 24, was on trial for killing Zainab Fatima Ameen in the eastern city of Kasur last month. He faces further charges in the cases of at least seven other children attacked in the Punjab city — five of whom were murdered — in a spate of assaults that had stoked fears a serial child killer was on the loose. He has confessed to all eight attacks, including the death of Zainab.
Ali was handed four separate death sentences after being convicted of the rape and murder of Zainab, as well as terrorism charges, prosecutor general of Punjab province Ihtesham Qadir said after a special anti-terrorism court passed its judgement.
Under Pakistani law, crimes that are considered to have spread terror in society can be charged as acts of terrorism.
The prosecutors said he also received life imprisonment and fines totalling 3.2 million rupees for additional charges of hiding his victim’s body.
One million rupees of the fine would be given in compensation to Zainab’s family, public prosecutor Abdul Rauf Wattoo said.
The trial was held in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat prison under tight security. Journalists were stopped 500 metres from the prison and only relatives of the victim were allowed in court for the hearing.
Zainab’s mother Nusrat Bibi demanded he be executed in public. “I want him to be hanged publicly at the place where he took Zainab,” she said after the verdict.
Zainab’s murder last month sparked outrage across Pakistan, with riots erupting in Kasur as thousands swarmed police stations and set fire to politicians’ homes, while Pakistanis across the nation took to social media demanding action. —
lahore — A court on Saturday handed four death sentences to a man charged with raping and murdering a young girl, in a case that shocked the country and sparked major riots in his home district.
Imran Ali, 24, was on trial for the killing of six-year-old Zainab Fatima Ameen in the eastern city of Kasur last month.
He faces further charges in the cases of at least seven other children attacked in the Punjab city — five of whom were murdered — in a spate of assaults that had stoked fears a serial child killer was on the loose. He has confessed to all eight attacks, including the death of Zainab.
Ali was handed four separate death sentences after being convicted of the rape and murder of Zainab, as well as terrorism charges, prosecutor general of Punjab province Ehtesham Qadir said after a special anti-terrorism court passed its judgement.
Under Pakistani law, crimes that are considered to have spread terror in society can be charged as acts of terrorism.
The prosecutors said he received further life imprisonment and fines totalling Rs3.2 million ($30,000) for additional charges of hiding his victim’s body.
One million rupees of the fine would be given in compensation to Zainab’s family, public prosecutor Abdul Rauf Wattoo said.
The trial was held in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat prison for security reasons. Journalists were stopped 500 metres from the prison and only relatives of the victim were allowed in court for the hearing.
ATC-I Judge Sajjad Ahmad announced the verdict in presence of the convict, family members of victim girl and prosecutors at Kot Lakhpat Jail. The verdict had been reserved on February 15.
Strict security was deployed outside the prison at the time of announcement of the judgement and every visitor was physically checked.
Zainab’s mother Nusrat Bibi demanded execution of the death penalties be carried out in public.
“I want him to be hanged publicly at the place where he took Zainab,” she told reporters after the verdict.
Qadir mentioned that the convict was also involved in eight other similar cases wherein six victims had died and only two survived. He said that evidence had also been collected in remaining cases and expressed hope that they would also be decided soon.
About public execution of the convict, he said under Section 22 of the ATA, the government could decide the issue.
The prosecution team presented 56 witnesses against Imran Ali and claimed that he was guilty of the crime in the light of evidence including the DNA report.
The prosecution also submitted forensic reports of videos and other materials to support their case.
Qadir said that a new foundation had been laid and now our judi-
I want him to be hanged publicly at the place where he took Zainab
Nusrat Bibi, Zainab’s mother
When he was read the charges, we asked the court to let Imran ali deliberate the matter for 40 minutes. The convict was then told that anything he says will be used against him in court, after which he confessed.
Ehtesham Qadir, Prosecutor General
ciary admits the DNA evidence like in other countries of the world.
Qadir said although the convict confessed to his crime, the prosecution contested the trial and proved the case through scientific evidence.
Zainab’s murder last month sparked outrage across Pakistan, with riots erupting in Kasur as thousands swarmed police stations and set fire to politicians’ homes, while Pakistanis across the nation took to social media demanding action.
The killing sparked calls for the public execution of Imran Ali after officials said his DNA had been recovered from the scene of the crime and matched samples from similar cases.
At least twelve cases of rape and murder have been recorded in the Kasur area in the past two years.
Imran Ali confessed to eight cases, but it is not clear if the four others are linked.
According to the victim’s father Ameen Ansari, Imran Ali — who lived nearby — had taken part in the initial protests that erupted after Zainab’s body was discovered.
In the same district, Kasur, there have been complaints of a number of missing children since 2015 when authorities uncovered what they said was a paedophile ring linked to a prominent local family.
At least two people have been convicted in connection with that case. — AFP, APP, Reuters