LHC upholds death sentences of motorway gang-rape convicts

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday upheld the death sentences awarded to two men in the high-profile motorway gang-rape case, dismissing their appeals against convictions handed down by an anti-terrorism court in 2021.

A two-member LHC bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi dismissed the appeals filed by Abid Malhi and Shafqat Baga, ruling that the death penalties imposed on the convicts were lawful and should remain in place.

The court announced the verdict after reserving its judgement following hearings on the appeals.

An anti-terrorism court had sentenced both men to death on March 20, 2021, after finding them guilty of raping a woman on a motorway near Lahore in September 2020.

The convicts subsequently challenged the ruling in the LHC on March 25, 2021.

The case shocked Pakistan and triggered nationwide outrage over women’s safety and law enforcement failures.

According to prosecutors, the victim was travelling with her children late at night when her vehicle ran out of fuel on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway on September 9, 2020. Two armed men allegedly robbed her before raping her in front of her children.

Police later arrested Shafqat Baga and, after an extensive manhunt, apprehended the main suspect, Abid Malhi.

In addition to the death penalty for rape, the anti-terrorism court had sentenced both convicts to life imprisonment for wrongful confinement and 14 years in prison for robbery.

The motorway rape case became one of Pakistan’s most prominent criminal cases, sparking public protests and renewed debate over violence against women.

The incident also led to calls for tougher punishment for sexual offences and prompted the government to introduce legal reforms aimed at speeding up trials in rape cases. The LHC’s ruling leaves intact all sentences awarded by the anti-terrorism cour