Protests flare in Pakistan over girl's rape, murder

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Protests broke out around Pakistan on Thursday while celebrities rallied on social media to demand justice after a six-year-old girl was found murdered near Lahore earlier this week.

Police recovered the body of Zainab Ansari from a garbage dumpster in Kasur, in northeastern Punjab province on Tuesday, four days after she was reported missing.

An autopsy on Thursday indicated she may have also been raped, the daily Dawn reported.

It was the latest in around a dozen such murders in Kasur over the past year, according to reports.

Officials have vowed to find the perpetrators and about 20 suspects have already been arrested, police said.

Pakistani residents carry the body of a girl during her funeral in Kasur in Punjab province on January 10, 2018, following her rape and murder. /VCG Photo

But Zainab’s family said little has been done.

"Police are not cooperating with us," Ghulam Rasool, an uncle of Zainab, told AFP news agency.

Another uncle, Hafiz Muhammad Adnan, told Reuters: "We don't have any expectations from police, as we gave proof to police including the CCTV footage, but they could do nothing."

He said Zainab appeared to know her abductor. CCTV footage reportedly showed the alleged kidnapper walking down the street, holding the girl's hand.

On Thursday, demonstrations were held in all cities between Faisalabad in the northeast down to Pakistan's southern metropolis of Karachi.

Pakistani residents hold bamboo sticks as they stage a protest against the rape and killing of a girl in Kasur in Punjab province on January 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

In Kasur, hundreds of protesters threw stones at government buildings and attacked the home of at least one local politician, complaining of police inaction.

The day before, two people were killed when police fired at angry protesters in Kasur.

On Thursday, schools, offices, and markets remained shut in the town, while protesters also blocked a major road to Lahore.

On social media, high-profile figures like Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan joined calls for #JusticeforZainab.

Screenshot of Twitter

“Heartbroken to hear about Zainab...This has to stop,” tweeted Yousafzai, adding that the authorities “must take action.”

Khan also condemned the murder: “This is not the first time such horrific acts have happened. We have to act swiftly to punish the guilty & ensure that our children are better protected.”

Kasur was already the site of what has been dubbed Pakistan's largest child abuse scandal in 2015.

Hundreds of children in the district were abused, according to the authorities. A number of police officials were later transferred out of the region for failing to investigate complaints of missing children.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency