Burning questions remain unanswered in Zainab murder case

Father of the victim says he was denied a final meeting with convict, despite promises

LAHORE:  

The rapist and murderer of Zainab may have been executed at the gallows, but her doting father still had many questions which would forever remain unanswered. Despite promises, authorities denied him a final meeting with Imran Ali, the killer of his little girl and at least six others.

“I wanted to meet Imran and ask some questions to which the replies were necessary. I was assured that I would be given a few minutes before his execution” said Ansari.

The questions the father wanted to ask included where his daughter was kept before her untimely demise and if he had any accomplices. He wanted to know if the convict revealed some other names to the joint investigation Team (JIT) or whether the probing body pinned the entire blame on Imran’s shoulders to avoid the challenge of further arrests.
Ansari recalled that when he put his thumbprint on the “compromise certificate”, he was promised a meeting with his daughter’s killer. The father of the girl declared at the time that he simply wanted justice and would never agree to a compromise at any cost.

Ansari stated that the primary reason for holding a final meeting with Imran Ali was to seek answers of whether there was a network of sexual predators/killers such as him. He added that if such a group existed, it could be brought to justice and young children like his daughter could be saved from their clutches.

As Imran Ali was being escorted to the gallows before his eyes, Ansari asked authorities to keep their promise. However, they denied his request. The father claimed that one police officer even put a comforting hand on the killer’s shoulder as the latter walked on in a confident mood. Imran Ali and Ansari exchanged brief glances as the killer proceeded towards his execution.

Zainab’s father and her uncle, Hafiz Adnan, were present at the site of the execution at 5:25am when Imran was taken to the gallows with his hands and feet tied. A black cloth was put over his face and at the stroke of 5:30am, the lever was pulled, sending the murderer to his death. He was left hanging for at least 30 minutes and later doctors arrived to examine him. After his death was confirmed, the first words the father uttered were “Thank God” – justice had been served.

He finally offered prayers at the jail before leaving. Meanwhile, the body of Imran was handed over to his family members.

Ansari said that only he and Zainab’s uncle were allowed into the jail, despite the family protesting and pointing out that prison rules made an allowance for 12 individuals to witness the execution.

There were as many as nine cases of abduction, rape, murder and attempted rape of minor girls against Imran Ali. The convict Imran was sentenced to death on seven counts. One of the cases was pending with the ATC and was related to the attempted rape of a minor. In another case, Imran’s DNA could not be matched and no witnesses were available to establish his involvement.

Police officials had collected DNA samples of 1,187 people from January 12 to January 23 in a bid to capture the serial rapist/murderer. Meanwhile, the census data of that locality was also collected. The DNA samples of people between 22 and 40 years of age were collected.

The first six streets surrounding Zainab’s house were marked for DNA samples from men of the mentioned age group. On January 20, more than 155 DNA samples were collected and forensics revealed the sample of one person matched. On January 23, the forensic investigators confirmed that Imran Ali’s DNA matched. The suspect was arrested on the same day. While in custody, the then suspect’s gait and dress sense was examined and it matched with the details available with officials.