LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) here on Thursday reserved judgement in the Zainab rape and murder case after the prosecution lawyer concluded his arguments.
ATC Judge Sajjad Ahmed conducted the high-profile trial inside Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, where main suspect, Imran Ali, is jailed on remand.
The verdict will be announced on February 17.
As many as 33 witnesses documented their statements before the court in the case, including Zainab’s paternal uncle and five-year-old brother, police officials, neighbours and doctors who conducted DNA tests.
On Wednesday, the lawyer who was representing the suspected rapist and murderer of Kasur’s seven-year-old Zainab distanced himself from the case.
The lawyer withdrew his power of attorney after his client confessed to the felony during the hearing of the case inside Kot Lakhpat Jail.
He said his conscience didn’t permit him to plead the case of the cold-blooded killer after his confessional statement.
Subsequently, Prosecutor General Ehtesham Qadir tasked state counsel Muhammad Sultan to represent the accused in the case as per law.
Anti-terrorism Court judge Sajjad Ahmed is conducting trial of Imran inside the jail at the request of the provincial government.
A day earlier, the judge recorded the statements of 16 witnesses during the hearing that lasted about 11 hours.
On Monday, the court framed charges against the accused and recorded the testimonies of more than 20 witnesses during 10-hour long hearing.
The court has fast-tracked the trial proceedings in order to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court.
According to the prosecution, the witnesses included forensic experts, medical board members, the joint investigation team members and members of other investigation teams.
The Supreme Court had earlier disposed of a suo motu case pertaining to the rape and murder of little Zainab and directed the trial court to decide the case within seven days.
Zainab was abducted on January 04 from Kasur’s Kot Road area. Five days after her disappearance on Jan 09, she was found raped, dead and her body was buried in a garbage dump.
