An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday handed down death sentence on four counts to accused Imran Ali in rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab.
The court handed down the sentence on charges of murder, rape, kidnapping and terrorism. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3.2 million on the convict besides sentencing him to seven years and life term on charges of desecrating the body and unnatural act, respectively.
ATC-I Judge Sajjad Ahmad announced the verdict in presence of the convict, family members of victim girl and prosecutors including Prosecutor General Punjab Ehtesham Qadir at Kot Lakhpat Jail. The verdict had been reserved on Feb 15 after conclusion of arguments by the parties.
The prosecutor general shared the details of the verdict with the media after attending the proceedings. He said that his team had brought the culprit to justice. He said that a new foundation had been laid down and now our judiciary admits the DNA evidence like in other countries of the world.
Qadir said that although the convict confessed to his crime, the prosecution contested the trial and proved the case through scientific evidence. He said that the convict had been given a chance of a free and fair trial and also provided him a state lawyer after his private counsel withdrew his power of attorney following his confession.
He mentioned that the convict was also involved in eight other similar cases wherein six victims had died and only two survived. He said that evidence had also been collected in remaining cases and expressed hope that they would also be decided soon.
To a question, he said that the convict had 15 days time to file an appeal before the Lahore High Court.
To another question about public execution of the sentence, he said that under Section 22 of ATA, government could decide the issue.
Strict security arrangements were made at Kot Lakhpat Jail on the occasion of announcement of the verdict. The court had reserved its verdict on February 15 after holding the trial for four days on daily basis in compliance with the directions of the Lahore High Court.
The prosecution team presented 56 witnesses against the accused Imran Ali and claimed that he was guilty of the crime in the light of evidence including the DNA report. The prosecution also submitted forensic reports of videos and other materials to support their case.
The prosecution team comprising Abdul Rauf Wattoo, Abid Waqar Bhatti, Hafiz Asghar and Farah Faiz contested the case whereas Prosecutor General Punjab Ehtesham Qadir also remained present in the court during the trial.
Imran Ali was indicted on February 12 whereas the court recorded his complete statement on February 14.
Seven-year-old 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 report revealed that she had been raped and murdered. The police had arrested the suspect Imran Ali with help of DNA report.
