Lahore: In a case that exposed the dark reality of women’s safety in Pakistan and drew worldwide condemnation, the Lahore High Court has upheld the death sentences of two men convicted of brutally gang-raping a French tourist in front of her young children.

The court rejected the convicts’ appeals, reaffirming the punishment handed down for one of the most shocking and disgraceful crimes in Pakistan’s recent history.

The horrific attack took place on 9 September 2020 when the French woman was travelling with her three children on the Sialkot–Lahore Motorway. After her vehicle ran out of fuel, the family became stranded on an isolated stretch of road.

According to investigators, the woman and her children were waiting inside the vehicle when two armed attackers arrived. The assailants smashed the car window, dragged the woman out and gang-raped her at gunpoint while her terrified children watched helplessly. The attackers then looted cash, jewellery and bank cards before fleeing the scene.

The barbaric assault sparked international outrage and intensified scrutiny of Pakistan’s record on protecting women from violent crime. Human rights groups described the incident as one of the most horrifying acts of sexual violence witnessed in the country.

Investigators tracked down the suspects through DNA evidence and mobile phone data. The victim later identified both men, named as Abid Ali and Shafqat Ali. One of the accused reportedly confessed before a magistrate. In March 2021, an anti-terrorism court convicted the pair of gang rape, abduction, robbery and terrorism-related offences, sentencing them to death along with life imprisonment and additional penalties.

Seeking to overturn the verdict, the convicts argued before the Lahore High Court that the prosecution’s case contained flaws. However, prosecutors presented what the court found to be overwhelming evidence, including DNA matches, mobile phone records and witness identification.

The High Court dismissed the appeals and upheld the death sentences, delivering a strong judicial rebuke to the perpetrators of a crime that shocked the world.

Public anger over the case was further fuelled when then Lahore police chief Umer Sheikh questioned why the victim had been travelling at night, remarks that triggered fierce criticism both domestically and internationally and were widely condemned as victim-blaming.

Nearly six years after the attack, the court’s decision closes a major chapter in a case that became a symbol of the challenges facing women’s safety and justice in Pakistan.