Lahore court indicts eight suspects in foreign women’s rape case

A Lahore court indicted eight suspects, including one connected to a senior minister, in a gang rape case involving two foreign women, according to a sessions court on Tuesday. All the suspects, currently in judicial custody, were brought before the trial court for indictment proceedings. Additional District & Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal filed charges against the suspects, who denied guilt.

The judge scheduled the prosecution to present witnesses on December 9 to commence formal trial proceedings. The judge also granted the prosecution one final chance to argue on the post-arrest bail petitions of three suspects in the case. The judge noted that the prosecution had multiple opportunities to argue the bail petitions on various pretexts.

The judge postponed the bail hearing until November 11 (today) with a stern warning to the prosecution to present its arguments; otherwise, the petitions would be decided based on the case record. Advocate Salman Shahid had already presented arguments on behalf of the petitioners/suspects. Defense-C police cleared five suspects, including the one linked to a senior political figure, of sexual assault charges and implicated them in minor offenses of illegal detention and extortion.

Three other suspects, alleged low-paid employees of a key suspect, were charged with sexually assaulting the women.