Industrialist, secretary jailed in viral assault case

Court hands eight-year cumulative sentence, orders hefty fines, compensation

FAISALABAD:

An Additional District and Sessions Court in Faisalabad has sentenced an industrialist and his personal secretary to prison in a high-profile case involving the abduction and assault of a medical student, whose video was later circulated on social media.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Kaneez Faiza Bhatti awarded five years' imprisonment to industrialist Sheikh Danish along with a fine of Rs5 million and compensation of Rs10 million payable to the victim.

His secretary, Mahum Sheikh, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined Rs3 million. Both convicts were taken into custody and shifted to jail following the verdict.

The court, however, acquitted four other accused, including Danish's daughter Anum Fatima, as well as Ghulam Murtaza, Ghulam Mustafa and Faizan, citing lack of sufficient evidence.

According to the prosecution, the case stems from an incident that occurred four years ago, when Danish allegedly abducted a female medical student, Dr Khadija Ghafoor, who was a classmate of his daughter.

The motive, prosecutors said, was to avenge a perceived insult.

The victim was reportedly subjected to physical abuse at the accused's residence, where her hair was forcibly cut and she was humiliated. A video of the incident was recorded and later went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage both domestically and internationally.

Following the viral footage, then City Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik ordered the arrest of the accused and registered a case.

Separate proceedings were also initiated under cybercrime laws by the Federal Investigation Agency.

The case attracted significant attention from international media and human rights organisations.

During the trial, the victim reportedly faced pressure to reach a settlement but chose to pursue legal action.

Speaking after the verdict, Dr Khadija said the court's decision marked a major victory. "Justice has been served. A tyrant has been punished," she remarked.

Court sources said Danish had earlier remained in district jail for around one and a half years before securing bail from the Lahore High Court. He had also filed petitions seeking the merger of the cybercrime and women police cases, but his requests were dismissed by both the high court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which directed that both cases be tried separately.

Legal proceedings in the related case registered at the women's police station are still ongoing, with one prosecution witness yet to record their statement.