LHC rejects petition calling for public hanging of Zainab's killer

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday rejected a petition calling for public execution of the convict in the Zainab rape and murder case.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali, disposed of the petition for being premature.

It observed that Imran Ali, who was recently awarded four death penalties by an anti-terrorism court in the Zainab case, has yet not exhausted three forums of appeal against his conviction. He couldn’t be executed until rejection of his appeals by all the forums, it added.

The petitioner argued that the high court could issue orders for hanging the convict in public as there was no need to make an amendment to the law to provide for public executions in the country.

He pleaded that the convict should be hanged right where the body of little Zainab was found.

On Feb 17 , an anti-terrorism court of Lahore awarded four death penalties to the prime suspect, Imran Ali, for raping and murdering the minor in Kasur.

He was also sentenced to life imprisonment and a separate 7-year jail term. The court also asked him to pay a collective fine of Rs 3.1 million.

The court conducted the swiftest trial in Pakistan’s judicial history at Kot Lakhpat Jail and concluded proceedings within four days.

The victim girl’s parents had also been demanding public hanging of the convict to bring some curb on such crimes in Pakistan.