Pakistani men who raped woman in front of her children sentenced to death
- Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali attacked the woman as she was waiting for help at a highway after her car ran out of petrol
- The men were also sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment, time that must be served before any executions can take place, the judge said
Prosecutor Hafiz Asghar said the verdict in the closely watched, six-month trial of Abid Malhi and his accomplice Shafqat Ali was issued inside the prison where it was held in Lahore.
Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta also sentenced the men to 14 years’ imprisonment, time that must be served before any executions can take place, he added. Appeals or commutations are likely.
According to the prosecutor and police, Malhi and Ali found the woman waiting for help after her car ran out of petrol.
She had locked the car doors but the attackers broke a window and dragged her outside where they raped her at gunpoint in front of her terrified children. The men also stole money, jewellery, and bank cards before fleeing.
They were tracked down via mobile phone data, Asghar added, and arrested days after the incident. DNA samples taken from the crime scene matched theirs. The survivor identified the two men during the hearing, and Ali confessed to the crime before a magistrate.
The crime had drawn widespread condemnation on social media, with some activists demanding that those involved be hanged in public, and has been closely followed on Pakistani television.
