LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered a special anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the Zainab rape and murder case to give a verdict within seven days after the indictment of the accused, according to a notification.
Zainab was kidnapped from near her aunt’s house on January 4 in Kasur. Her body was recovered from a garbage heap on January 9, and the post-mortem of the minor revealed that she had been raped before being murdered.
On Wednesday, January 25, the culprit behind the murder Imran Ali Naqshbandi was handed over to the police on a 14-day physical remand. He admitted to the rape and murder of eight minor girls, including Zainab.
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier requested the chief justice of the LHC to make sure that the case was heard constantly and that there was no delay in reaching the verdict.
The suspect has been charged with terror charges as well, according to a notification issued by the LHC’s Additional Registrar.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Babar Awan, in his media talk, has claimed that it is quite possible that a “prominent person is involved” in this case and that an independent inquiry should be conducted in order to get to the roots.
He further said that there is a possibility that a strong mafia is behind the killer.
