Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif addressed a press conference on the Zainab rape and murder case in Lahore on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. Photo: Geo News

 

MARDAN: Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday extended 'sincere' cooperation to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government in the Aasma rape and murder case.

"Aasma was a daughter of the soil just like Zainab," said Shehbaz while addressing a press conference about the Zainab rape and murder case. "I plead political leaders to not be insensitive toward these issues."

"Never do politics over the dead. Let us sit together and accept challenges unanimously."

He offered the services of the Pakistan Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) for the DNA profiling of suspects in the Aasma rape and murder case. 

Zainab's murderer caught, is a 'serial killer', confirms CM Shehbaz

According to sources, the accused has confessed to the heinous crime

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police have been unable to apprehend the rapist and murderer of four-year-old Aasma ten days after the incident was reported.

Aasma went missing on January 13 from the Gujjar Garhi area and was found dead the next day at 3pm.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector-General of Police Salahuddin Mehsud confirmed on Wednesday that the minor was strangled to death, but added that the post-mortem report points towards sexual assault.

The Mardan police had arrested as many as six more suspects were arrested on January 19, 2018.

DPO Mardan had said that DNA samples of the suspects will be taken, adding that the authorities have conducted geo-fencing of the area.