CJP takes suo motu notice of Chichawatni minor burnt alive after alleged rape

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took on Thursday suo motu notice of eight-year-old girl who succumbed to her wounds after being burnt alive and allegedly raped in Chichawatni.

Chief Justice Nisar took notice of the incident after it was reported in media, said a statement by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The CJP has summoned a report over the matter in the next 24 hours. 

Media reports stated that Noor Fatima was burnt alive after being reportedly raped, the statement said, adding that the victim’s family and neighbours had appealed to the top judge to take notice of the case.

On Tuesday, the eight-year-old girl with mental disabilities had succumbed to her wounds at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital.

On April 8, the minor had left her house to buy sweets from a nearby shop. After she failed to return home, her parents and neighbours started looking for her. Three hours later, the girl was found allegedly raped and burnt by unidentified men in Ward 17 of Mohammadabad area of Chichawatni.

The minor was taken to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital where doctors said over 80 percent of her body had been burnt. 

She was later shifted to the Jinnah Hospital in Lahore where she succumbed to her wounds Tuesday morning.

District Police Officer (DPO) Sahiwal, Mohammad Atif Akram told media that the postmortem report had evidence of sexual assault, adding that samples taken from the child had been sent to the forensic laboratory for further testing

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, responding to the ill-fated minor's parents' plea for justice, has taken notice of the incident and summoned a report from Inspector General Police Punjab.

The incident led to protests in Chichawatni’s Ward 17, where outraged residents took to the streets demanding justice for the minor. All business centres and shops were closed, bringing commercial activity to a halt.