A sessions court in Lahore on Thursday handed a man two death penalties, life imprisonment and a Rs700,000 fine for raping and murdering a child.

Bism Nazim was arrested for raping and murdering a seven-year-old child in 2017 and had been detained in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail for the past two years. He was arrested by the police from the scene of the crime and a case against him was registered in Sherakot police station.

The state prosecutor, in his arguments, told the judge that witnesses and evidence against Nazim had been produced before the court.

Additional session judge Sajawal Khan announced the death penalty.

According to a report issued by child rights organisation Sahil in September, at least seven children are abused in Pakistan daily. The report revealed that from January to June in the current year, 1,304 cases of sexual abuse of children have been reported by the media in the country.

The report said that the data from January to June in 2019 reveals that 729 girls and 575 boys became victims of sexual exploitation. The cases under major categories included 378 of abduction, 139 of rape, 153 of sodomy, 46 of gang rape, 88 of gang sodomy whereas 12 boys and four girls have been murdered after sexual abuse.