By Muhammad Luqman
A court in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore has given death sentence to a man, Imran Ali Naqashbandi, for raping and murdering a six-year old girl last month.
Zainab’s body was found on a rubbish dump in the city of Kasur, some 50 kilometres in south of Lahore, on 9 January.
The killer Imran Ali has pleaded guilty of raping and killing 8 minor girls in Kasur .
A total of 56 witnesses including Zainab’s uncle and brother recorded their statements against Imran. The prosecutor informed the court that the forensic report and polygraph test proved that Imran murdered Zainab.
Imran Ali, was handed death sentences for kidnapping, rape, murder and an act of terrorism, a life sentence for unnatural offense and a fine of Rs 3.2 million, Punjab Prosecutor General Ehtisham Qadir told media after the announcement of the verdict.
He now has 15 days to appeal against the verdict, according to media reports.
Police were under huge pressure to find who killed Zainab and the other children.
Zainab’s family say the police did not take action during the five days from when she was reported missing and her body was found. Relatives recovered CCTV footage of her last movements.
The video, which showed a girl being led away by a man, was circulated widely on social media.
The accused was indicted on February 12, whereas the court recorded his complete statement on February 14.
Seven-year-old Zainab was kidnapped on January 4 while on her way to her aunt”s house in Kasur.
Her body was found five days later from a garbage heap. The post-mortem report revealed that she had been raped and murdered. The police had arrested the suspect Imran Ali with the help of a DNA report.
The sentencing of Imran Ali Naqshbandi has included Pakistan in the list of countries that have used scientific technology to prosecute and sentence a criminal.
Zainab’s father, Mohammad Amin and other members of the family have expressed a sigh of relief at the sentencing of his daughter’s rapist and killer while demanding the public hanging of the culprit.
Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif , during a recent meeting with the families of the victim girls recently, had assured them that the culprit would be hanged publicly provided the courts in Pakistan allow it.
