Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls for public hanging, chemical castration of rapists

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for public hangings and chemical castration of rapists.

Khan made the call on Monday September 14, 2020, after authorities reported the arrest of a man in connection with the rape of a woman on a popular highway in Punjab province.

According to the authorities, the woman was raped in front of her children after her car ran out of fuel on a motorway near the eastern city of Lahore.

The incident drew a number of protesters to the streets in several cities, including Islamabad and Karachi, denouncing attacks on women.

“The rapists should be given exemplary punishments. In my opinion, they should be hanged in public,” said Khan.

“The way murders are graded as first degree, second degree and third degree, rape should also be graded this way, and the first grade rapists should be castrated and incapable completely,” he added.

On Sunday, a man was arrested but denied involvement in the crime.

He remains in police custody but said he was wrongly named in the case because his sim card was being used by one of his friends, who later turned out to be one of the suspects.

On Monday, police said they arrested one of the two assailants suspected of carrying out the crime.

Provincial Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the man arrested on Monday, Shafqat Ali, has confessed to committing the crime.

“His DNA matches and he has also confessed to the crime. Our entire team continues to work towards the arrest of suspect Abid Ali and we expect him to be arrested soon,” said Buzdar.