Accused’s lawyer says DNA test in Zainab rape case ‘has no legal value’

–Says his client is innocent as there’s no evidence to prove his involvement in rape and murder of minor girl

LAHORE: The lawyer for Imran Ali, the prime accused in the rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab, claimed on Friday that his client could not be convicted merely on the basis of a DNA test.

“DNA tests have no value in the eyes of the law. There is no other evidence against my client either,” the lawyer said during the hearing of the case at the anti-terrorism court.

The lawyer went on to claim that Imran Ali is innocent, adding that “people cannot be sent to jail just because Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif wants them behind the bars”.

The accused was produced before the ATC on Friday as his extended physical remand expired. The prosecutor general informed the judge that the next proceedings will take place inside the jail.

Earlier on February 7, the ATC extended the physical remand of Imran Ali for two days.

The police had produced the accused before ATC-I Judge Sheikh Sajjad Ahmad on expiry of the 14-day physical remand, amid strict security in a special vehicle.

To a court query, the investigation officer submitted that the investigation was being carried out and various shreds of evidence had been collected.

However, the court was requested to extend the remand for two days to finalise the investigation.

At this, the court extended the remand for another two days and directed to produce the accused on expiry of the remand.

It is pertinent to mention here that the court on February 6 had granted a three-day physical remand of the accused in seven other rape and murder cases of children in Kasur after the police had claimed that the suspect’s DNA also matched with the samples recovered from the crime scenes in the said cases.

On January 24, the court had handed over the accused Imran to police on a 14-day physical remand in minor Zainab’s rape and murder case.

Zainab was kidnapped on January 4 from near her aunt’s house in Kasur. Her body was discovered five days later from a garbage heap. The post-mortem reports revealed that the minor had been raped before murder.