Zainab murder case: Apex court disappointed by Punjab govt, police

During hearing the suo moto case of rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday expressed its displeasure to the Punjab government and the police as they have failed to arrest the culprit behind the heinous crime.

During the proceedings, Punjab additional inspector general (AIG) and advocate general (AG) appeared before the court. Addressing the officials, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar remarked that no significant progress in the case was visible so far. “The entire nation is aggrieved by the incident. What has been done in the case so far?” the chief justice inquired, local media reported.

“If the issue isn’t solved, then it’ll be a failure of the government and the police,” the chief justice said, adding that the same mistakes are made in every case, after which suspects are exonerated due to shoddy investigations.

He also insisted that there should be a firm belief that the killer will be caught as the court 'doesn't want the suspect caught and killed in an encounter'.

The Punjab AIG informed the court that a time for the arrest of the suspect could not be provided at the moment. So far, 1,100 suspects have been interrogated and DNA tests of 400 people have been conducted, he added.