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Saturday, October 5, 2024

Multiple death sentences handed to Zainab’s Murderer

News Analysis |

On a victorious note, justice has been served in the Kasur pedophilia serial case that was brought to light with the minor girl raped and killed in Kasur in January this year, sparking protests worldwide. In a trial held inside a prison, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on 7th August, handed Imran Ali, currently incarcerated and on death row for the rape and murder of six-year-old Zainab Amin in addition to the death penalty on five or more counts for the rape and murder of two other girls. Ali, a resident of Kasur, had confessed to having been involved in at least nine incidents of rape-leading-to-murder of minor girls, including Zainab, subsequently in the Zainab case investigation.

A three-judge bench at the Lahore registry, comprising Justices Asif Saeed Khosa, Manzoor Ahmed Malik, and Mansoor Ali Shah, had rejected Imran’s appeal, upholding the death penalty handed to him by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).

Anti-terrorism Judge Sajjad Ahmad Sheikh handed down the penalty judgment after the prosecution established the role of 24-year-old Ali in the rape and murder charges framed in cases 352/16 and 188/17. In the case 352/16 filed in April 2018, he was sentenced to one count of death, two counts of 25 years of rigorous imprisonment, one count of two years rigorous imprisonment and one count of one year rigorous imprisonment under the Pakistan Penal Code sections 376(3), 364-A, 337-A(1), and 337-F(1), and Anti-Terrorism Act Section 7(c).

Read more: SC rejects Imran Ali’s appeal against death penalty in Zainab murder…

He was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs1,500,000 and Rs75,000 under daman (compensation determined by the court to be paid by the offender to the victim for causing hurt not liable to Arsh, the compensation specified for offenses relating to various kinds of hurt). Failure to pay the fines will result in an additional six months of imprisonment.

In case 188/17 filed in Feb 2018, he received four counts of death, and one count of life imprisonment under PPC Sections 364-A (kidnapping or abducting a person under the age of fourteen), 376(3) (rape of minor), 302-B (punishment for qatl-i-amd), and 377 (unnatural offences); and Section 7(a) ATA (punishment for acts of terrorism).

Read more: Is society responsible for Zainab tragedy?

Ali had filed for an appeal against the Zainab case death penalty verdict in June 2018, GVS earlier reported. The Supreme Court (SC) rejected the appeal of convicting Imran Ali against the death sentence handed to him.

A three-judge bench at the Lahore registry, comprising Justices Asif Saeed Khosa, Manzoor Ahmed Malik, and Mansoor Ali Shah, had rejected Imran’s appeal, upholding the death penalty handed to him by an anti-terrorism court (ATC). Three more cases remain pending against Ali.