Pakistan Court Sentences Two Men to Death for Gang Rape in Front of Children

Pakistani women protesting against the gang rape incident on the highway. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Nahana] Two men who forcibly dragged a female driver off a highway in Pakistan and gang-raped her in front of her children were sentenced to death.

According to local media and foreign news on the 21st, a Pakistani court sentenced Avid Mali and Shafqat Hussain to death yesterday on charges of gang rape, kidnapping, robbery, and terrorism.

They raped a woman on the night of September 9 last year on a highway near Lahore in northeastern Pakistan. At the time, the victim was driving with her two children when the car ran out of fuel. She stopped the car and called relatives and the highway patrol for help. The police stated that two men approached the car, broke the window, dragged the woman out, and gang-raped her in front of her children.

Umar Sheikh, the Lahore Police Chief, said, "The victim was driving at night without a male guardian," adding, "In Pakistani society, no one lets their sister or daughter go out alone so late at night."

He added, "The victim is a resident of France and seemed to mistakenly believe Pakistan was as safe as France," and "She should have chosen a different route and checked the car's fuel."

After the chief's remarks were reported in the media, public outrage erupted. Women took to the streets in major cities such as Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, demanding an end to sexual violence and calling for Chief Sheikh's resignation and apology.

As the protests intensified, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan stated, "Rapists should be punished with public executions or penalties such as 'chemical castration' (drug treatment for sexual impulses)."

The Pakistani government introduced the chemical castration law in December last year and established special courts dedicated to sex crimes, enabling swift trials to be completed within four months of the occurrence of serious crimes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.