LAHORE, Pakistan: The 24-year-old Imran Ali was awarded four-time death penalty on Saturday for brutally killing nine minor girls including Zainab prior to have subjected them to rape in Punjab’s Kasur District.
The verdict was announced by the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Sajjad Ahmad in the presence of Zainab’s father Haji Muhammad Amin at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail where tight security arrangements had been placed.
The Court also awarded Imran Ali one life imprisonment and slapped him with Rs 3.2 million fine.
The Prosecutor General Ehtisham Qadir said while talking to media that the convict Imran Ali can file an appeal against the verdict in 15 days.
The ATC had reserved its verdict on February 15 after the prosecution and defence completed their arguments following four-day hearing conducted on daily basis as per the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan and Lahore High Court (LHC).
During the Course of hearing, the Prosecution had presented at least 56 witnesses including Zainab’s Uncle and five-year-old Brother against Imran Ali in addition to forensic evidence including the DNA and polygraph tests.
Imran Ali – though initially he denied the Charges – also confessed his crime before the ATC, admitting that he subjected nine girls including eight-year-old Zainab to rape and murder. His indictment was read by the Court on February 12 whereas his complete statement was recorded on February 14.
Following the confessional statement by Imran Ali, his Defence Lawyer Mehar Shakeel Multani had withdrawn his power of attorney; therefore, the Prosecution Department provided Imran Ali with a State Lawyer on February 14.
The issue surfaced after Zainab’s body was found lying dead in a trash heap near Kashmir Chowk in Kasur on January 9, five days after she went missing from near her aunt’s house. The postmortem report revealed that she had been raped and murdered.
Zainab’s rape-cum-murder sparked outrage across the Country, and the people launched a strong protest in Kasur against police inaction as according to them, 11 minor girls had been raped and murdered in the City in last 12 months but none of the culprits was apprehended by the police.
On January 23, the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif while addressing a Press Conference in Lahore confirmed the arrest of Zainab’s killer Imran Ali with the help of the DNA report.
