Pakistan court confirms death for two rapists
LAHORE, June 3: Lahore: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentences of two men convicted of raping a French woman of Pakistani origin on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway in 2020, rejecting their appeals against the trial court’s verdict. The case had sparked nationwide outrage and protests in Pakistan, with calls for swift justice and criticism of the Punjab police over allegations of victim-blaming. The victim, a 32-year-old mother, was travelling with her three children when her car ran out of fuel near Lahore in September 2020. Two armed men allegedly broke into the vehicle, robbed the family and dragged the woman to a nearby field, where she was raped at gunpoint in front of her children. In March 2021, an anti-terrorism court sentenced the two convicts, Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga, to death along with life imprisonment and other jail terms. A two-judge bench of the Lahore High Court upheld the convictions after hearing arguments from both prosecution and defence lawyers. (PTI)
17 suspected terrorists killed in Balochistan
KARACHI, June 3: Pakistani security forces have killed 17 suspected terrorists in a series of intelligence-based operations across Balochistan following last week’s deadly bomb attack on a shuttle train in Quetta. According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were carried out in the districts of Mastung, Nushki, Zehri, Khuzdar and Kech after the May 24 attack that killed at least 16 people, including three security personnel, and injured dozens. The ISPR said security forces targeted several militant hideouts and engaged in intense firefights with members of what it described as “Fitna-al-Hindostan,” killing 17 militants. Weapons, ammunition, explosives and ready-to-use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were also recovered during the operations. The military said the slain militants were involved in multiple terrorist activities in the region. Search and clearance operations are continuing to locate and eliminate any remaining militants in the affected areas. (PTI)
Italy car fire deaths lead to two arrests
ROME, June 3: Italian police have arrested two men accused of involvement in the deaths of four migrant farmworkers who were burned alive in a car in southern Italy. Authorities said the victims were found dead inside a vehicle in Amendolara, Calabria, on Monday. Surveillance footage reportedly showed assailants pouring a flammable liquid into the parked car before setting it ablaze. One suspect was also seen apparently trying to keep the vehicle’s doors closed. One man managed to escape and was hospitalised with burn injuries. According to Italian media, the victims were three Afghan nationals and one Pakistani migrant worker. The two arrested suspects are Pakistani nationals. Investigations into the motive behind the attack are ongoing. (AP)
