Punjab CM, IG, DG all have failed collectively in Kasur: Khursheed Shah

Says it is responsibility of federal government to ensure civilians, their interests are safeguarded

Opposition leader Khursheed Ahmed Shah, on Tuesday, said it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that civilians and their interests are safeguarded and not threatened.

Addressing the media in Kasur over Zainab's rape and murder, Shah said the government has shown complete inefficiency over this grave matter and this reflects how the federal government is trying to let the issue dwindle.

Shah said that over 11 incidents have taken place in Kasur but there has been zero development done to protect the civilians. "IG, DG, CM Punjab all have failed collectively," he lamented.



The leader of the opposition also stated that one such incident took place in Mardan and he is going to visit the bereaved family there as well. "Pakistan is a peaceful nation and such adversities create havoc. Bigwig politicians, who believe they can continue a tyrannical rule and oppress people through violent means, must be held accountable for their heinous actions," he remarked.

Another body of a girl child, 4 years old, found in KP this time Mardan two days ago. Autopsy shows signs of abrasions & that it might have been rape. Samples sent to Forensic Science Lab. is there a sudden surge in cases? Or just a mass realisation?

— Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) January 16, 2018

Shah added that politics is for the people, it is there to help them in their times of suffering. In this regards, he requested media channels run awareness programs on child sexual abuse so that education over this issues is adequately imparted.

Conclusively, he prayed for Zainab's departed soul saying Kasur has opened the eyes of people and he prays for those who have died at the hands of harassment.



Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Mansoor Ali Shah, has also said that the Punjab government and police did not take the minor girl’s murder case seriously.

According to Express News, the two-judge bench, comprising of Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, conducted the hearing of the Kasur murder case.

During the hearing, DG Forensic and former JIT Chief Additional Inspector General (IG) Abu Bakar appeared before the court, however, despite a judicial order, IG Punjab Arif Nawaz failed to appear before the court.

Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan said that the court had given a 36-hour deadline for the arrest of the murderer, however, no arrest was made. He also stated that it was not necessary to wait for the DNA reports as there were several other ways to arrest the murderer.

According to sources, the DNA found on the victim was similar to that found on previous rape and murder victims.

On January 11, sources told the Express Tribune that besides DNA matches, other aspects of the crime scene also matched previous cases. All victims were between the age of five and eight, they would go missing for few days prior to their bodies being recovered from abandoned places such as under a construction house, park, or a drain. All previous victims were also found strangled to death.

Over 700 cases since 2015: What makes Kasur a hub of child abuse?

The first case appeared on January 9, 2017, when the body of a six-year-old girl was recovered. In April 2017, another six-year-old victim was found under similar circumstances. On average, a similar case was reported every month in 2017.

Despite protesting multiple times regarding the various incidents of rape and subsequent murder of young children in the city, after Zainab’s murder, the people of Kasur voiced their anger and outrage by burning tyres in the city.

On January 11, a crowd of protesters gathered in front of DHQ Hospital and demanded the public flogging and hanging of “the monster responsible”.