Jump to content

Murder of Zainab Ansari

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 deathHomicideviastrangulation[1]
Body discovered9 January 2018
nearLahore,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

Zainab Amin Ansari(Urdu:زینب امین انصاری;c. 2010– January 2018) was a seven-year-old Pakistani girl who wasabductedin her hometown ofKasur,Punjabwhile she was on her way toQuranrecitation classes on 4 January 2018. Her body was found discarded five days later within a garbage disposal site near the city ofLahoreon 9 January 2018; anautopsyreport disclosed that she had been extensivelyrapedandtorturedbefore beingstrangledto death.[2]Her rapist and murderer, 24-year-old Imran Ali, was arrested and identified as aserial killerresponsible for at least seven previous rapes and murders ofprepubescentgirls in the region.[3]

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 theZainab Alert Bill(similar to theAMBER Alertsystem in theUnited 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

[edit]

The incident occurred when Ansari's parents were in Saudi Arabia to performUmrah,while she was temporarily living with her uncle. On 4 January 2018, she went missing while on her way to aQurantuition class near her home. Her uncle, Muhammad Adnan, lodged a complaint with theKasur Districtpolice office.CCTVvideo 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 inKasur.Her body was later discovered at a garbage disposal site on Shahbaz Khan Road on 9 January 2018. Anautopsyreport confirmed that she had beenraped,sodomisedandtorturedbefore beingstrangledto death.[8]

Protests

[edit]

Prior to the rape and murder of Ansari, the province ofPunjabhad seenseveral pedophilia scandals,with locallaw enforcementaccused of inaction and/orcover-upefforts.[9]Following Ansari's murder, protests were held in many major cities across Pakistan, including the capital ofIslamabad,which sawcandlelight 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

[edit]

The soon to beChief Minister of Punjab,Shehbaz Sharif,tweeted:

"Deeply pained about brutal murder of an 8-year-old girl in achild molestationcase. 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 PrizelaureateMalala Yousafzaiwrote onTwitter:"This has to stop. [Government] and the concerned authorities must take action."[18][19]

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

Islamic clericMuhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri,a political rival of the former rulingPakistan Muslim Leagueparty, "demanded the local government be replaced, saying it has 'no right to remain in power after the killing of Zainab Ansari'".[citation needed]

Kiran Naz, aSamaa TVnews anchor, hosted a 10 January bulletin with her young daughter on her lap as an act of protest.[21]At theSindh Assembly,artist celebritiesAyesha Omer,Nadia Hussain,Faysal Qureshiand others met on 12 January with Deputy SpeakerShehla Raza,demanding laws and justice to prevent such tragedies in the future.[22]Mahira Khan,Ali Zafar,Imran Abbas,Mawra Hocane,andSaba Qamar,as well as former cricket playersWasim AkramandShoaib Akhtartweeted about the incident, condemning the brutal rape and murder, while also trending the hashtag #JusticeforZainab.[23]

Arrest

[edit]

Shehbaz Sharifannounced the arrest of a suspect, Imran Ali, in a press conference on 23 January 2018.[24]He confirmed thatpolygraphtests and theDNAof 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-oldmechanicwho 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 theCCTVfootage showing Ansari just before she disappeared.[26][27][3]Ali eventually confessed to having committed theserialrapes and murders.[28]

Sentencing

[edit]

On 17 February 2018, ananti-terrorism courtinLahore Central Jailfound Ali guilty for the rape and murder of Ansari and twelve other underage girls. The court handed him four counts of thedeath penalty,onelife term,a seven-year jail term and₨3,200,000 in fines.[1]He was executed byhangingon 17 October 2018 at 05:30local time.[29]

Zainab Alert Bill

[edit]
Main article:Zainab Alert Bill

In 2020, theParliament of Pakistanpassed theZainab 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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abBilal, Rana (17 February 2018)."Imran Ali handed 4 counts of the death sentence, life term in Zainab rape and murder case".Dawn.Retrieved17 February2018.
  2. ^"Pakistan Passes Law Against Child Abuse in Wake of Zainab Ansari Case".The Guardian.12 March 2020.Retrieved29 July2020.
  3. ^ab"Zainab's murderer caught, is a 'serial killer', confirms CM Shehbaz".Geo TV. 23 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2018.Retrieved23 January2018.
  4. ^"Zainab murder: Riots in Pakistan's Kasur after child rape and killing".BBC News.10 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  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.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  6. ^"NA approves Zainab Alert Bill Two Years After Uproar over Kasur Killings".The Dawn.5 March 2020.Retrieved29 July2020.
  7. ^geo.tv
  8. ^"6-year-old Zainab's autopsy suggests child endured rape, captivity before murder".Dawn. 11 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2018.Retrieved11 January2018.
  9. ^"Pakistan Zainab Murder: New Law Aims to Catch Child Abusers".BBC.12 March 2020.Retrieved13 August2020.
  10. ^"The Worrying Trend of Violent Crimes Against Children in Pakistan's Kasur".The Wire.13 January 2018.Retrieved13 August2020.
  11. ^"Protests in Pakistan over Inaction on Rape and Murder of Girl, Seven".The Guardian.11 January 2018.Retrieved13 August2020.
  12. ^"Pakistan mob angered by rape, murder of girl attacks police".CTV. 10 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  13. ^"Parents of raped and murdered girl, 7, seek justice".Al Jazeera.10 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  14. ^Erickson, Amanda (10 January 2018)."A 7-year-old Pakistani girl was raped, strangled and left in a dumpster".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved11 January2018.
  15. ^"Kasur: Two dead in protests, Tahir ul-Qadri leads Zainab's funeral prayer".Daily Times.10 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  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).Retrieved18 January2018– viaTwitter.
  17. ^"Justice for Zainab: Riots erupt in Kasur after 7-year-old's rape, murder".Dawn.10 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2018.Retrieved10 January2018.
  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.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2018.Retrieved11 January2018.
  19. ^"Father lashes out at cops over Pakistani girl's rape, murder".CBS News. 11 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2018.Retrieved11 January2018.
  20. ^"Zainab Ansari Killing: What Has The Reaction Been in Pakistan and Why Have the Protests Turned Violent?".The Independent.11 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved29 July2020.
  21. ^"Pakistani anchor goes on air with daughter to protest minor's brutal rape and murder".Times of India.Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2018.Retrieved12 January2018.
  22. ^"Speedy trial needed for justice in Kasur-like tragedies: Ayesha Omar".Geo TV.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2018.Retrieved12 January2018.
  23. ^"Justice for Zainab: Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan condemn the brutal rape and murder of the 8-year old girl".Times Now News. 11 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2018.Retrieved12 January2018.
  24. ^Riaz, Waseem (23 January 2018)."'Zainab's murderer has been arrested'".DAWN.COM.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2018.Retrieved23 January2018.
  25. ^"Kasur rape case: Murderer of 8-year-old Zainab arrested".Muhammad Shehzad.The Express Tribune. 23 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2018.Retrieved23 January2018.
  26. ^"Police arrest main accused in Zainab killing case after DNA matches".Daily Pakistan.23 January 2018.Retrieved23 January2018.
  27. ^"Pakistan official: Suspect arrested in killing of 7-year-old".Washington Post.23 January 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2018.Retrieved23 January2018.
  28. ^"Zainab's murderer is a serial killer: Punjab CM".Samaa TV. 23 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2018.Retrieved23 January2018.
  29. ^"Pakistan hangs six-year-old Zainab's killer".BBC News.17 October 2018.Retrieved17 October2018.
  30. ^"What you need to know about the Zainab Alert Bill".geo.tv.Retrieved21 June2020.
  31. ^"President Alvi ratifies Zainab Alert Bill 2020 | Pakistan Today".pakistantoday.pk.Retrieved21 June2020.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Zainab_Ansari&oldid=1253554589"