Man sentenced to death by Lahore's gender-based violence court for raping medical student

E-Paper | June 15, 2026

A special Lahore court set up to deal with gender-based violence on Friday sentenced to death a man for the rape of a female medical student.

Announcing the court's first sexual violence-related verdict of the year, additional sessions judge Rehmat Ali also handed the convict Waqas Khalid a fine of Rs0.5m.

Khalid has been sentenced to death under Section 376(2) (punishment of rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The judge also announced life imprisonment for the convict, under Section 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage) of the PPC.

A first investigation report of the crime was filed at Lahore's Quaid-i-Azam industrial area in 2016. According to the investigation, the young woman was kidnapped, raped and then released by the convict.

The case was registered after a medical examination of the victim was conducted at a private hospital.

According to the verdict, the crime was proven through witness accounts and the government-appointed lawyer's arguments.

Following the verdict, the convict was escorted out of the premises amid tight security.

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Violence against women

Pakistan

Rana Bilal is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn News (TV) with over nine years of experience covering legal affairs, justice-sector developments, and environmental issues. He can be found on X at @ranabilaldawn.

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Leoman

Jan 18, 2019 12:16pm

The protection , respect and safety of a woman can really start if every woman starts teaching his sons right from the beginning to respect other women. This had to be enforced.

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Maryam

Jan 18, 2019 12:23pm

Can you please give the further details of this case about the victim and culprit

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Maryam

Jan 18, 2019 12:24pm

Can you please give me the further details of this case regarding the victim and culprit

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Akram

Jan 18, 2019 12:40pm

@Maryam, “Can you please give the further details of this case about the victim and culprit” Certainly not the details of victim. She has been through enough already.

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Javed

Jan 18, 2019 03:17pm

Question, will the perp do life before or after execution.

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Jehengir khan

Jan 18, 2019 05:17pm

Excellent verdict....justice served...

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Kamran

Jan 18, 2019 05:48pm

Eye witness accounts are notoriously fickle in these type of scenarios. It would have been better had action been taken based on DNA evidence

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M. Emad

Jan 18, 2019 05:58pm

Pakistan government should abolish capital punishment.

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Preface

Jan 18, 2019 06:08pm

@Leoman, Let's lay that responsibility on a woman too. It's as much a father's responsibility to teach his children to respect women, as it is a mother's.

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Rasob

Jan 18, 2019 06:59pm

@Maryam, Are you that naive, asking for the details of victim.

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Farzad

Jan 18, 2019 07:17pm

@M. Emad, why? GIVE any good reason ?

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Werner

Jan 18, 2019 07:43pm

Applaud the decision and hope for swift dispersion. All rapists should be awarded capital punishment. Too many such cases, including assaults on minors, in the subcontinent.

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Ahsan Gul

Jan 18, 2019 07:45pm

@M. Emad, - don’t complain but give solutions to handle murderers!

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N_Saq

Jan 18, 2019 08:22pm

Finally a conviction and a sentence in Pak courts. I hope here onwards courts will start dispensing swift and severe justice to send a clear message to all the people of Pak and not just the poor that do not mess with the law.

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Riaz uddin

Jan 18, 2019 08:25pm

Many repacious lawyers will come to his rescue.for defence! The process filing appeal.in pakistan is easy as a matter of right. No leave to appeal is required from trial judge or superior court which is essential to find out if ifiling appeal merits consideration. Our Criminal Justice System needs drastic changes for access to justice.

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monk

Jan 18, 2019 08:33pm

@Maryam, Why? Do you want to pass another verdict?

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Omar

Jan 18, 2019 08:51pm

Glad to see speedy justice in this case. It would also be prudent to show the picture of the accused as this will also act as a deterrent.

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Sayed

Jan 18, 2019 09:02pm

@gmail Excellent decision by the honourable court And this news is enough for others to refrain further arguments in support of culprit.

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Vikas

Jan 18, 2019 10:11pm

Were there 4 male witnesses or 8 female witnesses to the crime?

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Adil Jadoon

Jan 19, 2019 12:56am

@Vikas, In a criminal case you only need witnesses. Male or female does not matter.

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asad khan

Jan 19, 2019 01:13am

@Leoman, completely agree with you!

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kapatta

Jan 19, 2019 01:33am

@M. Emad, We will do it on your request

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N. Rahim, Toronto

Jan 19, 2019 02:07am

@Vikas, Stop ridiculing with an extremely serious matter. Perhaps in India you don't care. You will if one of your own had to go thru such trauma.

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Gordon D. Walker

Jan 19, 2019 08:24am

Condolences to the victim who will have to live with this disgusting violation for the rest of her life... Gordon D. Walker Canada

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Kaka

Jan 19, 2019 08:01pm

He is being made to pay for what he did. If he was a very wealthy man he would have bought his way out of it. I am glad that is not the case here

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