Murder of Zainab Ansari

Zainab Amin Ansari (Urdu: زینب امین انصاری; c. 2010 – January 2018) was a seven-year-old Pakistani girl who was abducted in her hometown of Kasur, Punjab while she was on her way to Quran recitation classes on 4 January 2018. Her body was found discarded five days later within a garbage disposal site near the city of Lahore on 9 January 2018; an autopsy report disclosed that she had been extensively raped and tortured before being strangled to death.[2] Her rapist and murderer, 24-year-old Imran Ali, was arrested and identified as a serial killer responsible for at least seven previous rapes and murders of prepubescent girls in the region.[3]

Zainab Ansari
زینب انصاری
Ansari in 2017
Born
Zainab Amin Ansari

18 August 2010
Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan
Disappeared4 January 2018 (aged 7)
Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan
Cause of deathHomicide via strangulation[1]
Body discovered9 January 2018
near Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Known for
Parents
  • Muhammad Amin Ansari (father)
  • Nusrat Ansari (mother)
Imran Ali
Born1993
Pakistan
Died17 October 2018 (aged 24)
Central Jail Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Murder
Kidnapping
Rape
Sodomy
Committing an act of terrorism
Committing an unnatural act
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Victims8+
Span of crimes
2017–2018
CountryPakistan

Ansari's murder incited widespread protests and outrage throughout Pakistan,[4][5] and ultimately led to the passage of Pakistan's first national child safety law, known as the Zainab Alert Bill (similar to the AMBER Alert system in the United States).[6] The bill directs that any individual found guilty of child abuse faces a minimum mandatory sentence of life imprisonment and also stipulates instigating legal action against any law enforcement officials who cause any unnecessary delay in investigating such cases within two hours of a child being reported as missing.[7]

Event

The incident occurred when Ansari's parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, while she was temporarily living with her uncle. On 4 January 2018, she went missing while on her way to a Quran tuition class near her home. Her uncle, Muhammad Adnan, lodged a complaint with the Kasur District police office. CCTV video footage discovered by Ansari's family without any aid from local authorities showed her accompanied by an unknown bearded man in white clothes and a jacket, holding her hand and walking on Peerowala Road in Kasur. Her body was later discovered at a garbage disposal site on Shahbaz Khan Road on 9 January 2018. An autopsy report confirmed that she had been raped, sodomised and tortured before being strangled to death.[8]

Protests

Prior to the rape and murder of Ansari, the province of Punjab had seen several pedophilia scandals, with local law enforcement accused of inaction and/or cover-up efforts.[9] Following Ansari's murder, protests were held in many major cities across Pakistan, including the capital of Islamabad, which saw candlelight vigils,[10] vehicles burned, roads blockaded and several clashes between protestors and police;[11] two people were killed after they had broken into a police station.[12][13][14][15] Four policemen who allegedly opened fire at protesters in Kasur were reportedly arrested and under investigation.[16]

Reactions

The former Chief Minister of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif, tweeted:

"Deeply pained about brutal murder of an 8-year-old girl in a child molestation case. Those societies that cannot protect its children are eternally condemned. Not going to rest till the perpetrators of this dastardly act are apprehended & given severest possible punishment under the law."[17]

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai wrote on Twitter: "This has to stop. [Government] and the concerned authorities must take action."[18][19]

Imran Khan tweeted: "The condemnable & horrific rape & murder of little Zainab exposes once again how vulnerable our children are in our society."[20]

Islamic cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a political rival of the former ruling Pakistan Muslim League party, "demanded the local government be replaced, saying it has 'no right to remain in power after the killing of Zainab Ansari'".

Kiran Naz, a Samaa TV news anchor, hosted a 10 January bulletin with her young daughter on her lap as an act of protest.[21] At the Sindh Assembly, artist celebrities Ayesha Omer, Nadia Hussain, Faysal Qureshi and others met on 12 January with Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, demanding laws and justice to prevent such tragedies in the future.[22] Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, Imran Abbas, Mawra Hocane, and Saba Qamar, as well as former cricket players Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar tweeted about the incident, condemning the brutal rape and murder, while also trending the hashtag #JusticeforZainab.[23]

Arrest

Shehbaz Sharif announced the arrest of a suspect, Imran Ali, in a press conference on 23 January 2018.[24] He confirmed that polygraph tests and the DNA of the suspect matched with the samples of at least eight minor girls, including Ansari, who were raped and murdered within the same neighbourhood. Ali was a 24-year-old mechanic who lived in Ansari's neighbourhood, and further investigations disclosed that he had even taken part in the protests following the discovery of Ansari's body.[25] Police also found the jacket worn by the suspect, which was seen in the CCTV footage showing Ansari just before she disappeared.[26][27][3] Ali eventually confessed to having committed the serial rapes and murders.[28]

Sentencing

On 17 February 2018, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore Central Jail found Ali guilty for the rape and murder of Ansari and twelve other underage girls. The court handed him four counts of the death penalty, one life term, a seven-year jail term and PRs. 3,200,000 in fines.[1] He was executed by hanging on 17 October 2018 at 05:30 local time.[29]

Zainab Alert Bill
Main article: Zainab Alert Bill

In 2020, the Parliament of Pakistan passed the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act, 2019, colloquially known as the Zainab Alert Bill, named after Ansari. The bill outlines various systems designed to improve the country's responses to missing child cases.[30][31]

See also

References
  1. Bilal, Rana (17 February 2018). "Imran Ali handed 4 counts of the death sentence, life term in Zainab rape and murder case". Dawn. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  2. "Pakistan Passes Law Against Child Abuse in Wake of Zainab Ansari Case". The Guardian. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  3. "Zainab's murderer caught, is a 'serial killer', confirms CM Shehbaz". Geo TV. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. "Zainab murder: Riots in Pakistan's Kasur after child rape and killing". BBC News. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  5. Polianskaya, Alina (10 January 2018). "Zainab Ansari killing: Two people died in Pakistan protests over the alleged rape and murder of eight-year-old girl". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  6. "NA approves Zainab Alert Bill Two Years After Uproar over Kasur Killings". The Dawn. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  7. geo.tv
  8. "6-year-old Zainab's autopsy suggests child endured rape, captivity before murder". Dawn. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  9. "Pakistan Zainab Murder: New Law Aims to Catch Child Abusers". BBC. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  10. "The Worrying Trend of Violent Crimes Against Children in Pakistan's Kasur". The Wire. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  11. "Protests in Pakistan over Inaction on Rape and Murder of Girl, Seven". The Guardian. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  12. "Pakistan mob angered by rape, murder of girl attacks police". CTV. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  13. "Parents of raped and murdered girl, 7, seek justice". Al Jazeera. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  14. Erickson, Amanda (10 January 2018). "A 7-year-old Pakistani girl was raped, strangled and left in a dumpster". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  15. "Kasur: Two dead in protests, Tahir ul-Qadri leads Zainab's funeral prayer". Daily Times. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  16. @GovtOfPunjab (11 January 2018). "All the four accused policemen who opened fire on protestors in Kasur yesterday have been arrested and being interrogated. JIT, comprising officials from Police & intelligence agencies, are working on Zainab murder case & will locate the main accused soon IA. #JusticeForZainab" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 January 2018 – via Twitter.
  17. "Justice for Zainab: Riots erupt in Kasur after 7-year-old's rape, murder". Dawn. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  18. Yousafzai, Malala (10 January 2018). "Heartbroken to hear about Zainab - a 7 year old child abused and brutally killed in Kasur, Pakistan. This has to stop. Gov and the concerned authorities must take action. #JusticeForZainab". Twitter. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  19. "Father lashes out at cops over Pakistani girl's rape, murder". CBS News. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  20. "Zainab Ansari Killing: What Has The Reaction Been in Pakistan and Why Have the Protests Turned Violent?". The Independent. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  21. "Pakistani anchor goes on air with daughter to protest minor's brutal rape and murder". Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  22. "Speedy trial needed for justice in Kasur-like tragedies: Ayesha Omar". Geo TV. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  23. "Justice for Zainab: Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan condemn the brutal rape and murder of the 8-year old girl". Times Now News. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  24. Riaz, Waseem (23 January 2018). "'Zainab's murderer has been arrested'". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  25. "Kasur rape case: Murderer of 8-year-old Zainab arrested". Muhammad Shehzad. The Express Tribune. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  26. "Police arrest main accused in Zainab killing case after DNA matches". Daily Pakistan. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  27. "Pakistan official: Suspect arrested in killing of 7-year-old". Washington Post. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  28. "Zainab's murderer is a serial killer: Punjab CM". Samaa TV. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  29. "Pakistan hangs six-year-old Zainab's killer". BBC News. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  30. "What you need to know about the Zainab Alert Bill". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  31. "President Alvi ratifies Zainab Alert Bill 2020 | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
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