Court hands prison terms, slaps fines in medical student rape case

What can be termed triumph of justice over cruelty and patience over barbarity, a court in Faisalabad on Wednesday handed prison terms, slapped fines on influential persons in medical student Khadija Ghafoor sexual assault case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Sheikh Danish Ali, main accused in the case, and Maham Fatima were sent to jail.

Speaking to City 41, Khadija, while expressing her satisfaction over the verdict, described it as a victory of truth.

She said she was grateful to the Almighty Allah that justice had been done in the case. “These influential people thought they were above law; that no court could dare sentence them.”

She disclosed that on several occasions during the hearing of the case, she was offered money and pressurized so that she stopped pursuing the case. “But I always rejected their offers and was not intimidated by their threats and struggled for justice for four years because I wanted to see them behind bars.”

Khadija thanked civil society and media for supporting her throughout her ordeal.

She said she had complete trust in courts.

She asked women, going through similar situations, to come forward and report cruelty done to them.

Khadija Ghafoor from Faisalabad, who was Sheikh Danish’s daughter’s friend, was abducted and sexually assaulted in Danish’s house for turning down his advances.

According to the first information report (FIR), Danish, his wife Maham, daughter, and four bodyguards broke into Khadija’s home on August 9, 2022 and kidnapped her after she had recently ended ties with the family.

Prior to her kidnapping, Danish and his daughter had repeatedly pressured the survivor to accept his proposal of marriage, to the point of giving her death threats, read the FIR.

According to the FIR, Danish’s family also stole valuables including an iPhone 13 Pro Max, gold bangles and Rs500,000 in cash.

Later, a video of the incident went viral, which infuriated the public who demanded justice for Khadija.