Metro53 - WASHINGTON/LAHORE: Billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has publicly welcomed a Pakistani court’s decision to uphold the death sentences of two men convicted in the high-profile 2020 Motorway gang-rape case. According to reports, Musk described the ruling as an example of the kind of firm action that Western countries should also consider for heinous crimes.
The remarks came after the Lahore High Court dismissed appeals filed by convicted offenders Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga, thereby maintaining the death penalties awarded by an anti-terrorism court in 2021.
Musk reacted to a social media post by Rupert James Graham, who described the court’s ruling as positive news from Pakistan. In response, Musk reportedly praised the verdict and said that similar measures should be adopted in the West for such serious crimes.
The Lahore High Court’s ruling relates to the widely publicized September 2020 motorway gang-rape case, in which a woman was assaulted after her vehicle broke down on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway. The case sparked nationwide outrage and renewed debate about public safety and justice for victims of sexual violence.
An Anti-Terrorism Court had sentenced the two convicts to death on March 20, 2021. The offenders subsequently challenged the verdict before the Lahore High Court on March 25, 2021. After reviewing the appeals, the court upheld the original sentences and dismissed the petitions.
The decision has attracted significant attention both within Pakistan and internationally, with supporters describing it as a strong affirmation of justice in one of the country's most notorious criminal cases.
