#RemeberingZainab: Pakistan mourns 7-year-old rape victim on 1st death anniversary

LAHORE - Today marks the first death anniversary of Zainab Ansari, who was brutally murdered after being raped in Kasur, Pakistan.

The brutal incident took place last year when the 7-year-old's parents were out of Pakistan for performing pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Zainab was kidnapped on January 4 from near her aunt’s house in Kasur and, five days later, was found dead in a garbage heap. On January 23, 2018, authorities apprehended Imran Ali through a DNA match.

Ali's DNA also matched with the samples taken from seven other minor girls who were abused and murdered earlier in Kasur, police had confirmed. The then-suspect had confessed to his heinous crimes following his arrest.

Later, court found him involved in at least nine other incidents of rape-cum-murder of minors, including Zainab, which he had confessed to during her murder investigation. After a few months of investigations, Ali was found guilty under three sections of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/minor-girls-killing-after-rape-in-kasur-sparks-countrywide-anger/?fbclid=IwAR28_W_8BbcIQ7jOuEMgwAqjssb0Jw2xGQeB2cbMPmdfW71lfs6ZypUl16I

He was later executed in Lahore after being sentenced to death on a total of 12 counts (4 counts for each victim), besides ordered to pay a fine of Rs6 million (Rs2m per victim) and Rs3m (Rs1m per victim) as compensation to the victim families.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/zainabs-rapist-killer-imran-ali-hanged-in-lahore/?fbclid=IwAR1RvJTHL47oO2KjAvAFO0E8iAqFl44T0h4Qd1WL_z99A7dp9FeLI_SA6Y4

The body of the hardcore criminal was handed over to his brother who reached the jail along with two friends and an ambulance. They took the body of the killer to Kasur for burial.

On the occasion of Zainab's first death anniversary renowned Islamic scholar, Allama Tahirul Qadri remembered the departed soul in a tweet, sharing that he was going to visit Zainab's family in their home city. The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief also requested the government to declare 10th January as 'Zainab Day'.

https://twitter.com/TahirulQadri/status/1083280105986768901?fbclid=IwAR2vLMfdF9V_2l5kgmcs33FNZ8Gad_MJjwyR47un-ZvGMG-zDQT_gkirj7s

Meanwhile, twitteratis remembered Zainab in most heartfelt words:

https://twitter.com/atiqabhatti1/status/1083297348703391745

https://twitter.com/M_A_Z_Cheema/status/1083293032013799424

https://twitter.com/NaumanShafi26/status/1083286250998718464

https://twitter.com/SoharwardiSabir/status/1083274668902174720

https://twitter.com/junaid16586/status/1083190735040663552

Statistics gathered by a child rights NGO, Sahil, show that as many as 2,300 cases of crimes against children were reported during the first six months of the current year alone. In 57 of these cases, children were killed after being raped.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/lahore-tops-the-list-of-punjabs-cities-with-highest-number-of-child-rape-cases-in-2016-17/

May your soul rest in peace little Zainab!