LAHORE: Five more prosecution witnesses were cross-examined on Saturday during the jail trial of the two suspects in the motorway gang-rape case.

Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta held the trial proceedings in the Camp Jail and a special prosecution team presented its witnesses, including two forensic experts, two judicial magistrates and a sub-inspector.

The defence counsel cross-examined the witnesses and the judge adjourned hearing for March 8.

Prime suspect Abid Malhi and co-suspect Shafqat Bagga had pleaded not guilty as they were indicted by the prosecution.

Gujjarpura police had lodged the case under sections 376, 392 and 427 of PPC and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 for sexually assaulting a French-Pakistani woman in front of her three minor children after dragging her out of her car that had halted on the motorway late at night after its fuel ran out.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2021