News Analysis |
A Pakistani Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday issued the black warrant for Imran Ali. Ali gained international notoriety for the rape and murder of 7-year old Zainab Ansari in Kasur. He was also accused of the rape and murder of seven other minors in the same region.
The serial offender was handed the death sentence by the ATC on February 17 almost a month after the Zainab incident. According to details, the convict will be hanged till death on October 17 at Central Jail in Lahore.
The police later collected DNA samples of 1,187 people from January 12 to January 23 to trace the accused.
Imran was sentenced to death on 21 counts. The special court handed down life imprisonment on three counts in Batool murder case as well as 23 years jail. In February 2017, ATC handed down death penalty to Imran on four counts he was found guilty in rape and murder of Zainab.
A fine of Rs. 1m was also been slapped on the convict alongside Rs.1m blood money to be paid to parents of victim Zainab. In June 12, Supreme Court (SC) had turned down his plea against the death sentence in rape cum murder case of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari.
Read more: Another ‘Zainab’ raped and killed in Jaranwala: An epidemic of child…
Earlier, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had taken Suo Motu notice of delay in the implementing sentence of the convict.
Case History
Zainab Amin was abducted on January 4 from near her aunt’s house in Kasur. Her body was recovered from a heap of garbage near her house five days later, sparking widespread protests in which two people also died because of the police firing.
Zainab’s mother, however, demanded that the convict should be publicly executed at the same location where the incident took place.
The police later collected DNA samples of 1,187 people from January 12 to January 23 to trace the accused. On January 23, the police arrested Imran, a neighbor of Zainab, as his DNA matched not only with the DNA samples collected from the body of Zainab but also at least seven other victims.
Zainab’s Parents’ Reaction
The parents of little Zainab have expressed their satisfaction over the decision of the court despite delays. The minor girl’s father, Amin Ansari, expressed satisfaction over the decision and thanked the Chief Justice of Pakistan for delivering justice.
Read more: Zainab’s murderer caught: Are our children safe now?
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.