Hundreds of protesters enraged over the murder of a young girl threw stones at government buildings in a Pakistani city near the Indian border for a second day Thursday, amid growing outrage over the killing.

The demonstrators hurled projectiles at a hospital, attacked the home of at least one local politician, and complained of police inaction in the city of Kasur in Punjab province, a day after two protesters were killed when the rallies turned violent.

The outrage has spilled over in Kasur after the body of a child was found in a garbage heap Tuesday, where she is believed to have been dumped after being raped and murdered.

The child, named as Zainab, is the eighth minor to have been raped and murdered in Kasur in the past 12 months, police have said.

Officials had earlier put her age at eight, but her family told AFP that she was just six years old.

"Up to 1,000 protesters are in the streets," Kasur police spokesman Muhammad Sajid told AFP.

"They have thrown stones on the buildings of the government hospital, police and deputy commissioner's office... Security is deployed and trying to control the situation."

The demonstrators had accused police of failing to act over the child murders.

Sajid said that up to 20 suspects had been apprehended "but the investigators have been unable to find any clue so far".

"Police are not cooperating with us," Ghulam Rasool, an uncle of Zainab, told AFP.

"We want justice. We want the culprit to be brought in front of us. We don't want an innocent to be presented as the culprit and killed just to wash this case."

Zainab's killing has sparked a social media deluge, with politicians, celebrities, cricketers and average Pakistanis demanding #JusticeForZainab.

On Wednesday at least two protesters were killed when police fired into the crowd of demonstrators as they tried to storm a government building in Kasur, a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Anger at police has been fuelled by Kasur's infamy as the site of what has been dubbed Pakistan's largest child abuse scandal.

The 2015 scandal saw allegations that at least 280 children were filmed being sexually abused by a gang of 25 men who blackmailed their parents by threatening to leak the videos.

It came to light after parents of the victims clashed with police in Kasur during a protest blasting authorities for failing to prosecute the case.

The Punjab government has announced a reward of 10 million rupees ($90,000) for information leading to the killer's capture, as well as compensation packages for the protesters killed Wednesday.</s>ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) - A Maryland man has been charged with having sex with a 13-year-old girl who kept him hidden in her basement.

The News-Enterprise reports 20-year-old Domenico Antonio Bucci was arrested Wednesday. He faces up to 10 years if convicted on each of six counts of rape and sodomy.

An arrest warrant says the girl "snuck" Bucci into the family basement, where he hid for five days before the girl's mother contacted police.

Police say Bucci met the girl online, and had sex with her multiple times despite knowing her age. He's being held on $100,000 bond pending a Feb. 2 hearing.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>KASUR: Normalcy seemed to return to Kasur on Friday after several days of protest following the discovery of seven-year-old Zainab's brutal rape and murder.

Markets opened after being shut for at least two days as traders announced an end to their strike while traffic began plying on roads that had been blocked by enraged residents protesting the gruesome incident.

The minor girl, a resident of Road Kot area of Kasur, had gone missing on January 4 when she ventured out of the house. Her body was found in a garbage pile near Kashmir Chowk five days later.



As protests re-erupted in the city on Thursday, the house of local provincial lawmaker Naeem Safdar was ransacked. Police also failed to stop the protesters from ransacking the local government hospital.

Residents protested across the city, including Kali Pul Chowk, whereas the Ferozepur Road, linking Kasur to nearby towns and cities, also remained blocked.

Moreover, protest demonstrations over the incident were held across the country, from Peshawar to Karachi. 



The funeral of the two protesters allegedly killed by the police firing, Shoaib and Mohammad Ali, was held in the city's college ground.

Moreover, the funeral prayers of two protesters allegedly killed by police firing a day earlier were held on Thursday.

Two policemen and as many civil defence officials have been held for firing on protesters while murder charges have been included in two FIRs registered against 16 unidentified policemen on the complaints of the deceased's brothers.</s>LAHORE, Pakistan -- The father of a 7-year-old Pakistani girl whose rape and killing shocked the nation accused the police on Thursday of being slow to respond when his daughter went missing in eastern Punjab province.

The father, Anees Ansari, who was on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia with his wife at the time of his daughter's disappearance, spoke after meeting with the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Sharif travelled to the city of Kasur to visit the family hours after Ansari returned home from Saudi Arabia to attend his daughter's funeral Wednesday.
• None Pakistani woman sentenced for burning daughter to death in "honor killing"
• None "I had to," says Pakistani man accused of "honor killing" sister

The girl, Zainab Ansari, disappeared last week while going to a nearby home for Quranic studies and her body was found in a Kasur waste-yard on Tuesday.

Her murder sparked clashes Wednesday between angry Kasur residents and police after protesters enraged over her death attacked a police station in the city. Two people were killed and three others were wounded in the clashes.

Sharif, who had assured Zainab's father that justice would be done, also fired Kasur's police chief over negligence in the case, according to a Punjab government statement Thursday. Three police officers were arrested for opening fire at the mob instead of into the air during Wednesday's clashes.

Zainab's killing, which has drawn wide public outcry, prompted dozens of civil society activists to rally on Thursday in the city of Lahore. A similar rally took place Wednesday in the port city of Karachi.

Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and champion for female education, tweeted Wednesday she was "heartbroken" about Zainab's tragic fate and demanded action against the killer.</s>Police in Lilongwe are looking for suspects behind the murder of a 17-year-old girl whose body has been found in decomposed state in Chinsapo, Lilongwe.

Police reports that the standard 7 pupil was also gang raped before the murder.

It has been learnt that the victim was in a relationship with a boy who was among other boys in a crew called Ganja City based in Chinsapo.

Last year on 24 December, the two love birds had quarreled on allegations that are not yet known. Following the quarrel, the victim’s boyfriend instructed his crew members to gang rape the young girl.

She was then told not to reveal the ordeal to anyone but she insisted she would tell the community and that prompted the Ganja City boys to murder her and dump her body in an abandoned toilet.

Her family and friends had been searching for her since that day until her body was recently discovered in decomposed state.

Meanwhile, police in Lilongwe have taken a step further to investigate the matter and bring the suspects to justice.</s>Second Day of Protests Over Child Rape and Murder

Demonstrators accuse police of failing to act against perpetrators of child murders

Hundreds of protesters enraged over the murder of a young girl threw stones at government buildings in Kasur for a second day on Thursday, amid growing outrage over the killing.

The demonstrators hurled projectiles at a hospital, attacked the home of at least one local politician, and complained of police inaction in the city of Kasur in Punjab province, a day after two protesters were killed when the rallies turned violent. The outrage has spilled over in Kasur after the body of a child was found in a garbage heap Tuesday, where she is believed to have been dumped after being raped and murdered.

The child, named as Zainab, is the eighth minor to have been raped and murdered in Kasur in the past 12 months, police have said. Officials had earlier put her age at eight, but her family told AFP that she was just six years old.

“Up to 1,000 protesters are in the streets,” said Kasur police spokesman Muhammad Sajid. “They have thrown stones on the buildings of the government hospital, police and deputy commissioner’s office… Security is deployed and trying to control the situation.”

The demonstrators had accused police of failing to act over the child murders.

Sajid said that up to 20 suspects had been apprehended “but the investigators have been unable to find any clue so far.”

“Police are not cooperating with us,” claimed Ghulam Rasool, an uncle of Zainab. “We want justice. We want the culprit to be brought in front of us. We don’t want an innocent to be presented as the culprit and killed just to wash this case.”

Zainab’s killing has sparked a social media deluge, with politicians, celebrities, cricketers and average Pakistanis demanding #JusticeForZainab.

On Wednesday at least two protesters were killed when police fired into the crowd of demonstrators as they tried to storm a government building in Kasur, a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Anger at police has been fueled by Kasur’s infamy as the site of what has been dubbed Pakistan’s largest child abuse scandal. The 2015 scandal saw allegations that at least 280 children were filmed being sexually abused by a gang of 25 men who blackmailed their parents by threatening to leak the videos.

It came to light after parents of the victims clashed with police in Kasur during a protest blasting authorities for failing to prosecute the case. The Punjab government has announced a reward of 10 million rupees for information leading to the killer’s capture, as well as compensation packages for the protesters killed on Wednesday.</s>Pakistani actors Mahira Khan and Ali Zafar condemned the rape and killing of an eight-year-old girl, who was found dumped in the trash after being repeatedly assaulted sexually. The movie stars say “sexual abuse needs to speak about openly”. “We need to start talking about sexual abuse openly. We need to include that in our school curriculums. Awareness is key. Associating abuse and rape with shame is why countless go unheard. Stop with the shame,” Mahira tweeted on Thursday morning. Riots erupted in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Wednesday over police inaction after the minor’s body was found.

The victim was last known to have attended a tuition centre near her house in the Road Kot area last Thursday on January 4, after which she went missing, Dawn reported. Demanding justice for the victim, the actress added: “We fail as a nation every time we witness a crime as heinous as this. “We fail even more when we aren’t able to bring these evil butchers to the gallows. And we fail the most when we sit in our homes instead of getting out on the roads. Press Club, Karachi. 2 p.m.” Ali said he was disgusted with the heinous crime and wants justice for the minor girl.

“Never been so angry and disgusted in my life. Her parents had gone for Umrah (pilgrimage) when this happened. Imagined their state of mind. Justice has to be served! Justice for (the girl),” he tweeted.The brutal murder of the little girl has incited anger among residents as it is the 12th such case to occur within a two-kilometre radius in the city since last year. Kasur, over 400 km from Islamabad, made international headlines in 2015 when a gang of paedophiles were running a child sex racket that was busted, Dawn reported.

The paedophile gang allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted at least 280 children in the area, blackmailed the families of the victims since 2009, and even sold video clips and images of the assault. Guitarist and songwriter Salman Ahmad shared on his popular Pakistani band Junoon’s Facebook page, that Kasur is the city of his father and ancestors. “It is also the burial place of one of the greatest Sufi saints, Baba Bulleh Shah… Bulleh would be turning in his grave to learn of the monsters that prowl Punjab and hunt young children.

“Is there no law or justice left in Pakistan to reign in these satanic forces? Shame on the police and Punjab government for turning a blind eye or being complicit in the sex trade flourishing in Kasur and elsewhere in the country. “A sexual assault which involves children should be dealt with ruthless punishment. If we don’t set an example with across the board accountability, right now, these monsters will continue their lustful orgies entrapping children… and extinguishing their light.”</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The rape and murder of six-year-old Zainab sparked outrage in Pakistan

Protesters have set a government office on fire in the Pakistani city of Kasur, in a second day of riots after the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl.

Zainab Ansari's body was found in a rubbish dump on Tuesday, several days after she went missing. She had been raped and strangled.

Describing his grief, her father told the BBC: "It's like the world has ended... I have no words."

Police in Kasur say there have been 12 similar murders in the past two years.

They say five of them are linked to one suspect who is being hunted by hundreds of officers. DNA samples have also been taken from 90 possible suspects.

A post-mortem report suggested that Zainab had been brutally assaulted. The report found injuries on her body and face, and a bone in her neck fractured.

Zainab's father, Ameen Ansari, told the BBC that he did not agree with the violence of protesters, but understood the anger at police.

"If the police had done their jobs properly then they would have found her as soon as they got hold of the CCTV," he said.

Image caption Zainab's father, Ameen Ansari, said: "It's like the world has ended"

Local politicians have met the family and promised the killer would be caught.

On Thursday, protesters threw stones at government buildings and set cars and a local politician's office alight, complaining that police had not done more to stop violence against children.

Image caption Riots continued in Kasur on Thursday

A local police spokesman told AFP news agency "up to 1,000" people had taken to the streets.

"They had thrown stones on the buildings of the government hospital, police and deputy commissioner's office... security is being deployed and trying to control the situation," he said.

Two protesters were killed on Wednesday after an angry crowd tried to storm the local police headquarters, and police opened fire.

The Punjab government is offering a 10m rupee ($90,000; £67,000) reward for anyone who helps police find and arrest Zainab's killer, and has offered 3m rupees each to the families of those killed by police on Wednesday, the BBC was told.

Kiran Naz, a news anchor on Pakistan's Samaa TV, hosted Thursday's bulletin with her young daughter on her lap as an act of protest.

Opening her segment, she said: "Today I am not Kiran Naz, rather I am a mother today and that is why I am sitting with my daughter."

Referring to Zainab, she said "the smallest coffins are the heaviest, and the entire society is burdened by the weight of her coffin".</s>KASUR: An enraged mob on Thursday stormed dera of a lawmaker belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz shortly after prayers for two men killed by Punjab police were offered .



The men were killed during protest against rape and murder of Zainab - a minor girl from Kasur - on Wednesday.

According to Geo News, a group of protesters forced their entry into the dera (political office) of Naeem Safdar Ansari and set fire to chairs and vehicles parked near the political office of the MPA .

Safdar , who was elected from PP-177 (Kasur-III), was not present at his office when it came under attack.

Police were firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters and fire tenders were called in to extinguish the fire.

According to Geo TV, scores of protesters were pelting the police with stones as the officers moved to disperse them.

A large number of people including politicians and religious scholars attended the funeral prayers .

Protests continued for the second consecutive day with some of the demonstrators attacking District Headquarters Hospital hours after Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the bereaved family to offer his condolence.

Kasur is boiling with anger as the stick wielding protesters took to streets blocking roads forcing and enforcing market closures for the second consecutive day on Thursday.

Seven-year-old Zainab was laid to rest amid scenes of mourning and tears on Wednesday night as hundreds of thousand people attended the funeral prayer of fairy-like innocent girl.

Despite all the tall claims, the police have not been able to nab the man who was seen taking her along in the CCTV video.

Protests broke out in the city soon after the body of seven-year old girl, who went missing last week, was found dumped in a trash pile. It is the 12th such incident of the same nature in Kasur, in which minor girls were molested and murdered after abduction. Culprits, involved in any of these incidents, have not been apprehended.

Protesters took to streets, forcing closure of markets and setting many vehicles on fire. Two people were reported killed during the clashes with police when a group of protesters stormed the office of Deputy

Meanwhile, two separate First Information Reports (FIRs), on the behalf of Kashif Imran and Rizwan Ahmad, have been registered against police personnel over opening fire on the protesters.

The incident has sparked outrage across the country. Politicians, celebrities and sportsmen took to social media to condemn the shocking incident, demanding justice and raising questions over the government's failure to punish the culprits, aiders, abetters of the 2015 Kasur child abuse case as well as abysmal protection of minors in the region.

According to details, forensic examination of the body has confirmed that the girl identified as Zainab was raped before being killed.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident and has sought report from the authorities and constituted a joint investigation team to probe the issue.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar has taken the suo moto notice of Zainab’s brutal rape and murder, ordering Inspector General Punjab (IGP) to submit the report in next 24 hour in this connection.

Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa has strongly condemned cold blooded murder of minor girl Zainab in Kasur, and directed immediate all out support to civil administration to arrest the criminals and bringing them to exemplary justice.

Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai has condemned cold blooded murder of minor girl Zainab in Kasur, saying she was heartbroken to hear about Zainab.</s>LAHORE, Pakistan — A serial killer may have been behind the rape and murder of young girl in Pakistan whose killing sparked deadly clashes between protesters and police, an official said Saturday.

Rana Sanaullah, the home minister for Punjab province, said DNA testing has linked the killing to at least five other cases of child abuse and murder in the city of Kasur. Police have detained eight suspects, including two relatives of the girl.

Eight-year-old Zainab Ansari went missing last week while heading to a nearby home for Quranic studies. The discovery of her body, which was found in a garbage bin Tuesday, ignited clashes between residents and police that killed two people and wounded three others.

The residents say the authorities were slow to respond to the girl’s disappearance, charges denied by police.

The city appeared calm but tense on Saturday after three days of clashes. Businesses reopened, but police and paramilitary troops were still out in force and guarding government buildings.

Sanaullah expressed hope for a breakthrough, saying new footage from surveillance cameras showed a man with a thin beard, who resembles police sketches of the suspect, walking near Ansari’s house. He said the head of the investigation was replaced by another seasoned officer following complaints by the victim’s father.
Protesters set a government office on fire in the Pakistani city of Kasur, in a second day of riots after the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl.