LAHORE: Citing Saudi Arabia as an example of a country that dealt with rapists and murderers in the strictest manner, Muhammad Amin Ansari, the father of a girl who was raped and murdered in January, said on Friday that Pakistan, too, should follow suit and publicly hang his daughter’s killer, Imran Ali.
Zainab, six, was kidnapped, raped and murdered in Kasur, located 51km away from Lahore, in Punjab, while her parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah this year.
After his appeal for clemency was rejected by the president, the Supreme Court issued a directive to hang Ali on October 17 in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.
Zainab’s father is now demanding that authorities publicly hang Ali in Kasur. “We want his death in the public. He should be hanged in public as a lesson for other criminals,” he told Arab News. “If the government does not accept our demands, we will hold a protest rally in Kasur on Monday,” he added.
The brutal rape and murder of the minor girl incited countrywide protests and outrage, resulting in the death of two protesters. The government formed a special investigation team and the case was also taken up by the apex court of the country.
Officials used DNA evidence to arrest Ali, a resident of the same area as Zainab’s family. The accused later confessed to his crimes and was indicted in raping and killing eight other minor girls.
On February 2 this year, an anti-terrorism court awarded the death sentence to Ali on the charges of kidnapping, rape and murder. He did not file an appeal against the sentence, which was instead lodged in the Lahore High Court by the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail on his behalf.
“According to the Criminal Proceedings Code (Cr P C) the jail superintendent files an appeal in the court if the accused fails to do so. This appeal is on behalf of the state,” Aleem Baig Chugtaie, a senior Supreme Court advocate, told Arab News.
Ali’s appeal was rejected by the top courts while the president, too, refused to accord clemency for his crimes.
Set an example, Zainab’s father urges government
Set an example, Zainab’s father urges government
- Requests authorities to publicly hang daughter’s killer to teach others a lesson
- Court issued a death warrant for six year old’s rapist and murderer
Pakistan forms committee to negotiate financial advisory services for Islamabad airport privatization
- Committee to engage Asian Development Bank to negotiate terms of financial advisory services agreement, says privatization ministry
- Inaugurated in 2018, Islamabad airport has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities and operational inefficiencies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Privatization Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has formed a committee to engage the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to negotiate a potential financial advisory services agreement for the privatization of Islamabad International Airport.
The Islamabad International Airport, inaugurated in 2018 at a cost of over $1 billion, has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities, and operational inefficiencies.
The Negotiation Committee formed by the Privatization Commission will engage with the ADB to negotiate the terms of a potential Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) for the airport’s privatization, the ministry said.
“The Negotiation Committee has been mandated to undertake negotiations and submit its recommendations to the Board for consideration and approval, in line with the applicable regulatory framework,” the Privatization Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Islamabad airport operations will be outsourced under a concession model through an open and competitive process to enhance its operational efficiency and improve service delivery standards.
Pakistan has recently sought to privatize or outsource management of several state-run enterprises under conditions agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $7 billion bailout approved in September last year.
Islamabad hopes outsourcing airport operations will bring operational expertise, enhance passenger experience and restore confidence in the aviation sector.
In December 2025, Pakistan’s government successfully privatized its national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), selling 75 percent of its stakes to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.
The group secured a 75 percent stake in the PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after several rounds of bidding, valuing the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said this week the government has handed over 26 state-owned enterprises to the Privatization Commission.
