Zainab's parents demand public execution of daughter's murderer

KASUR: Expressing satisfaction that their daughter’s rapist and murderer will be hanged on October 17, the parents of minor Kasur girl Zainab demanded that the convict should be publicly executed.

An anti-terrorism court on Friday issued death warrants for convict Imran Ali who has been awarded capital punishment for the brutal rape and murder of the minor girl, a case which had gripped the nation earlier this year.

The minor girl’s father, Amin Ansari, expressed satisfaction over the decision despite the delay, and thanked the Chief Justice of Pakistan for delivering justice.

Zainab’s mother, however, demanded that the convict should be publicly executed at the same location where the incident took place. She said that such incidents have not stopped and public punishments can deter against such heinous crimes against children.

The convict will be sent to the gallows on Wednesday October 17 morning at the Lahore Central Jail. He is convicted of rape and murder of seven minors including Zainab. The warrants were issued after President Arif Alvi rejected the mercy plea on October 10.

On October 6, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar heard the case over non-implementation of the death penalty of the convict, and directed to present a report over progress in the case. The chief justice was informed that the execution was halted as the convict had sent a mercy plea to the interior ministry and ultimately the president.

Earlier this year on February 7, Imran Ali was sentenced to death four times, one life term, a 7-year jail term and Rs4.1 million in fines in the Zainab rape and murder case. Her parents had expressed satisfaction over the verdict but expressed similar demands calling for a public execution.

In August, Imran was guilty of raping and murdering two more girls and awarded him a total of five counts of death penalty as well. He has been awarded 21 death sentences, three life sentences and a cumulative 23 years in jail including the case of six-year-old girl Asma Batool.

Zainab went missing on January 4 from Kasur’s Kot Road area, and was found raped and murdered in a trash heap four days later. Her autopsy report revealed that the minor was sexually assaulted before being strangulated to death.

On January 21, the Supreme Court gave three days to a joint investigation team formed to probe the rape and murder of Zainab to track down the culprit. He was arrested on January 23 after the DNA proved that he was behind the rape and murder of Zainab.

The trial was one was shortest lasting ten hours in which twenty-five eyewitnesses appeared before the court. However, the case shocked the nation and become a rallying cry to end violence against children.