Lahore motorway gang rape case: ATC reserves verdict as arguments conclude

• Lahore ATC expected to announce verdict on Saturday — March 20, 2021 — after prosecution presents 37 witnesses, including survivor.
• Prosecutors argued that solid evidence against the accused individuals was available.
• Defence claimed Shafqat Ali was forced to get record statement and questioned the authenticity of the identification parade.

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday reserved its verdict in the Lahore motorway gang-rape case as arguments from the relevant parties were completed.

The Lahore ATC is expected to announce the verdict on Saturday — March 20, 2021.

During a hearing presided over by ATC Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta and conducted at Camp (District) Jail, the deputy prosecutors general, Hafiz Asghar and Waqar Bhatti, represented the prosecution. Advocates Sher Gull Qureshi and Qasim Arain appeared on behalf of Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali, the prime accused and co-accused, respectively, who were produced by the prison authorities.

Read more: Lahore men allegedly rape, rob woman stranded on motorway

The prosecutors argued that the accused individuals gang-raped the victim woman at gunpoint and solid evidence was available against them. The accused, they added, were arrested after their DNA matched with the samples collected from crime scene whereas the survivor also identified them during an identification parade held in the presence of a magistrate.

Shafqat Ali, the co-accused, had confessed to the crime before a judicial magistrate, they submitted, pleading with the court to hand down strict punishment as they committed a heinous crime.

However, the defence counsel opposed the plea, saying the prosecution had failed to prove Shafqat's presence on the crime scene and that the identification parade was held 22 days after his arrest.

Also read: Lahore motorway rape suspect Abid Malhi reveals how he evaded arrest for a month

The defence counsel also submitted that Shafqat's statement was recorded after a delay of one month and eighteen days, adding that he was forced to record his statement, they claimed.

The defence also questioned the authenticity of the identification parade, while raising various questions on the process adopted during it.

In total, the prosecution presented 37 witnesses, including the survivor, during the trial. The court reserved its verdict till March 20.

Related: Protesters across Pakistan demand stern action against culprits of Lahore motorway rape

Earlier, the Gujjarpura police filed a challan against the accused, wherein they were declared guilty. They had requested the court to award strict punishment to the accused as sufficient evidence was available against them.

On September 9, 2020, Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali had allegedly raped a woman at gunpoint in the city's Gujjarpura area in the presence of her children after her car ran out of fuel and she was waiting for help on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway (M-11).

The men stole Rs100,000 worth of money, jewellery, and ATM cards before fleeing, the woman had told police at the time.

Also read: Law for chemical castration of rapists okayed by PM Imran Khan

A first information report (FIR) of the incident — which had sparked protests across Pakistan over sexual violence against women and a lack of accountability — was lodged at the Gujjarpura police station under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken "strict notice" of the same case, as well as the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Karachi, and later okayed a law for the chemical castration of sexual abusers.

The draft of the anti-rape ordinance includes increasing women’s role in policing, fast-tracking rape cases, and witness protection.