Pakistan: Kasur rape convict to be hanged next week

Imran Ali, who was convicted in the rape and murder case of a seven-year-old girl in Kasur in Pakistan's Punjab province, will be hanged on October 17.

On Friday, a special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had issued black warrants for the convict, who was awarded 21 death sentences in the case. As per an order issued by Judge Sheikh Sajjad Ahmed, Ali's death sentence will be carried out on the stipulated date, Geo News reported.

The minor, a resident of Kasur, was kidnapped on her way to a tuition centre in January. Few days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump.

According to the post-mortem report, the minor was strangled to death after being raped multiple times. The incident incited huge protests in Kasur and other major cities of Pakistan.

The ATC found Ali guilty of sexually assaulting the girl and slapped him with numerous criminal counts and a hefty fine of Rs. 1 million. He was subsequently awarded the death sentence for committing an unnatural act.

The convict had earlier appealed to the Lahore High Court, saying that he did not do anything and pleaded for the verdict to stand "null and void." However, the court had rejected his plea.

In June, the Lahore Registry of Pakistan Supreme Court had quashed Ali's appeal against the death sentence awarded to him for the brutal rape and murder of the minor.