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LHC orders police to arrest culprit behind Zainab's rape and murder within 36 hours
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the Inspector General Punjab (IGP) to arrest the culprit responsible for 6-year-old Zainab's abduction, rape and murder within 36 hours.
LHC Chief Justice (CJ) Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, who was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Shaheem Pirzada to arrest the culprit, expressed surprise that despite reports of earlier incidents of similar nature from Kasur, none of the cases were brought to the court.
The CJ ordered the police to submit details of all the cases of child sexual abuse that had taken place in the area, adding that he would also demand a report on the cases from the sessions judge.
Read: 'How long will it take before you all forget about my sister?'
The Inspector General of Punjab (IGP) insisted that the police "were working sincerely" to catch the criminal. He told the court that one person's DNA had been found in six cases of assault.
The CJ warned that the court would not tolerate any delay in the case, at which the IGP assured him that the culprit would be caught.
The hearing was adjourned until January 15.
On January 10, protests had erupted in Kasur after Zainab's dead body was found in a garbage heap. Autopsy reports revealed that the girl was subjected to rape, torture and was then strangled to death. Zainab's murder was the 12th such incident reported in Kasur in a year.
Kasur had made headlines in 2015 as well when it was revealed that a gang of paedophiles was busted for running a child sex ring in the city.
Comments (18) Closed
No amount of punishment can do justice to the beautiful life lost and her sufferings. It makes me wonder if people who stoop to such lows are worth calling humans. How do they sleep at nights, how do stay alive without feeling the burden of the inhumane crime.
Indeed, my heart aches after reading about this little beautiful girl and many many others. Praying for justice from Canada. This has shocked the whole world, and the world is watching Pakistan now. Pakistan needs to take very strict measures to protect its young daughters and sons.
Enough is enough. This must not happen again. The Punjab government has yet to show people their long term strategy to handle common man's safety and security.
Feeling so sad. What a beautiful life lost for someone's few seconds of pleasure! Why men are like that? RIP little angle. May the peace be with the family.
I think it is someone she knew otherwise she would not have just walked away with him that easily. Police need to look at people who the family knows in the area i.e. friends, relatives,chokidars etc. I can assure you the culprit lives within the area and watches/know the kids routines. Police should also look for anyone moving out of the area at this point because that person might/should be a person of interest for the police because since all eyes are on the area the culprit will try to take off to other parts of the country in order to evade arrest and will try to wait it out. Police needs peoples help here. People should cooperate with the police by pointing out possible suspects. If someone has moved out in the last few days out of the area, police should get to him and get his DNA samples.
Again, Parliament should immortalize Zainab by making an abduction law in her name and making an Alert in her name i.e. Zainab Alert which can be activated by dialing in a number such as 211.
So if anyone dials 211 people should know a child is abducted and all the doors of the store should be closed from where the number was dialed from and all the entry and exit points to the areas are blocked by the police so that no one can enter or leave the area until the police complete the search and the child is recovered plus the culprit is apprehended and punished. It can be a false alarm but as they say you are better safe then sorry.
In such a scenario people need to cooperate with the police and wait patiently until all areas are checked and cleared by the police because it is a matter of life and death of a child and everyone should respect it. This can only be achieved with the help of legislators, police and the public working together but it is definitely doable.
Isn't kind of surprise that everyone is now noticing although all previous crimes were reported widely by the media?
Only severe and quick punishment can deter such attacks in future. Only today a news appeared wher a 24 year old boy was given life term where as he knifed several women of which one was killed yet he will live.
Ok so 12 Jan to 15 Jan make 36 hours.
When will they arreat the culprit..its been so much time
Notice on everything. Is this the solution of any thing?
Pedophiiles exist in every society. Even in so called civilised socities. When a child raises an alarm we should believe them. In pakistan often instances of sexual abuse are hushed up.
@N_Saq - read your both comments and both make great sense. Hopefully, our administrator also read your sensible comments and gain some wisdom. How many more time we will go again Zanib's like crime?
You cannot put a time limit on criminal investigation.
36 hours, why not 24hrs why not 12 if it was so easy and certain that culprit could be found. Also shameful that comments on article are all reactive actions but not looking into our society and culture as to why it is producing such demonic individuals
Courts should not be setting such deadlines. If police has not been able to arrest for so long how will they in 36 hours. Rather the court should ask for a proper investigation to see what evidence has been gathered. Why do the police not ask for foreign help who have a lot of experience with such cases.
Now only 12 hours remain.
@N_Saq Great points.