Plea on public hanging referred to CJ

Counsel says under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 convict can be publically hanged

LAHORE: Justice Anwarul Haq of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday referred to the Chief Justice a petition seeking public hanging of the murderer and rapist of a seven-year-old girl.

As the proceedings commenced, an assistant advocate general contended the court that mercy appeal of convict Imran Ali was pending before the president of Pakistan which was yet to be decided.

The petitioner’s counsel implored the court that a convict who was tried under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 could be publically hanged. He requested the court that Ali, who raped and killed seven-year-old Zainab, be publically hanged to avoid such incidents in future. However, the proceedings were adjourned till July 2.

Petitioner Muhammad Amin, the father of Zainab, filed a petition under article 199 of the Constitution, in which he implored that the deterrent effect of the punishment could only be achieved through public hanging of the culprit.



An Anti-Terrorism Court had awarded the convict death penalty on four counts. Later, the convict filed an appeal against his death penalty which a division bench of the LHC dismissed. After that the aforesaid order was challenged in country’s top court which was heard by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the same was dismissed.

He requested the court that the respondents be directed to change the place of execution in order to make the same as public in compliance of section 22 of the ATC 1997 so as to give the deterrent effect to the punishment.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2018.