Zainab’s father moves SC over harassment by murderer’s family

LAHORE: Muhammad Amin, father of seven-year-old Zainab who was murdered after rape in Kasur, filed a petition in the Supreme Court against harassment at the hands of Zainab’s murderer’s family members.

In his application submitted to the SC Lahore Registry, Ansari pleaded that his family and locals of the area believe the convict acted with support from facilitators and “gang members” who “have not been grilled by the local police for reasons best known to them or Imran Ali”.

He requested the court to direct the relevant law enforcement and intelligence agencies to trace the suspected facilitators, and also direct the district police officer (DPO) to restrain the family and relatives of Ali from harassing him and his family.

Zainab, who went missing on January 4 from Kasur’s Kot Road area, was found raped, dead and buried in a trash heap in Kasur on January 9.

The horrific incident triggered widespread outrage and protests across the country with people calling for the public execution of the culprit.

On February 17, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) found Imran Ali — the man accused of raping and murdering seven-year-old Zainab Amin in Kasur last month — guilty of the charges brought against him, and handed him four counts of the death penalty, one life term, a 7-year jail term and Rs 4.1 million in fines.

The verdict was announced by ATC Judge Sajjad Ahmad at the Kot Lakhpat Jail, where Imran Ali is being held.

The four death penalties were for kidnapping, raping and murdering Zainab, and for committing an act of terrorism under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

ATA’s section 7 (a) reads: “Death of any person is caused, shall be punishable, on conviction, with death or with imprisonment for life, and with fine.”

The life sentence, along with a Rs1 million fine, was handed to Ali for sodomy; another 7-year jail sentence and Rs1 million fine were imposed for disrespecting the dead body by throwing it in a trash heap.

Additionally, Rs1 million from the penalties imposed will be paid to the victim’s heirs, the judge ruled.

Ali faces further charges in the cases of at least seven other children he attacked — five of whom were murdered — in a spate of assaults that had stoked fears a serial child killer was on the loose. He has confessed to all eight attacks, including the death of Zainab.

Imran Ali has appealed to the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the verdict that handed him death penalty on four counts.