Overview
- A two‑judge Lahore High Court bench dismissed the appeals of Abid Malhi and Shafqat Bagga on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, upholding the death sentences handed down by an Anti‑Terrorism Court in March 2021.
- The case stems from an attack on the Sialkot–Lahore Motorway in September 2020 when a French‑Pakistani woman travelling with her three children was robbed and gang‑raped at gunpoint after her car stalled.
- Prosecutors relied on multiple forensic and digital links to build their case, including DNA matches from the scene, mobile phone location data that traced suspects, the survivor’s identification in court, and a reported confession to a magistrate.
- The defendants argued on appeal that inconsistencies and legal infirmities created reasonable doubt, but the high court concluded the trial court had properly examined the evidence and rejected those claims.
- The decision has revived public attention to policing, victim‑blaming and anti‑rape reforms enacted after the 2020 outcry, and the convicts may still seek a final review at Pakistan’s Supreme Court before any execution occurs.