Elon Musk reacts as LHC upholds death sentences in motorway gang-rape case

LAHORE: Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk praised Pakistan’s judicial system after the Lahore High Court upheld the death sentences awarded to two convicts in the high-profile motorway gang-rape case.

In a post on social media platform X, Elon Musk reacted to the court’s decision by writing: “Bravo, Pakistan! This is what we should be doing in the West.”

His remarks came after the Lahore High Court on Wednesday dismissed the appeals filed by convicts Abid Malhi and Shafqat Baga against the verdict of an anti-terrorism court.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.

The court upheld the death sentences awarded to the two convicts and maintained all other punishments handed down by the trial court.

During the proceedings, counsel for the appellants argued that the trial court had failed to properly assess the evidence and requested the court to overturn the death sentences and order the release of the accused.

However, prosecutor Raheela Shahid opposed the appeals, maintaining that the anti-terrorism court had delivered a lawful judgment based on substantial evidence against both convicts.

Addressing a press conference after the verdict, Punjab Prosecutor General Farhad Ali Shah said bringing the case to its logical conclusion had been a major challenge for the state and credited the prosecution team for securing the convictions.

He said the investigation was initiated following the victim’s identification of the suspects. According to the prosecution, DNA evidence linked Abid Malhi to the crime scene, while Shafqat Baga was arrested through call detail record analysis.

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The prosecutor general said the prosecution team worked continuously to ensure the accused were brought to justice.

According to court records, the first information report was registered at Gujjarpura Police Station in Lahore on September 9, 2020.

On March 20, 2021, Anti-Terrorism Court No. 1 Lahore sentenced both convicts to death for rape. They were also awarded 14 years’ imprisonment and fined Rs250,000 each for robbery.

In addition, the trial court sentenced them to life imprisonment for abducting the victim’s children and five years’ imprisonment for damaging her vehicle.

The convicts had challenged the anti-terrorism court’s verdict before the Lahore High Court on March 25, 2021, but their appeals were dismissed, leaving the original sentences intact.