Major Rape Convictions in Pakistan and Manchester

In Lodhran, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Ayyaz sentenced Kabir Baloch, Hassan Baloch and Iqbal Baloch to 14 years' rigorous imprisonment each and fined them Rs1 million apiece, with an additional six months' simple imprisonment if the fines are not paid, after convicting them of gang‑raping a nine‑year‑old boy who was forcibly taken from a Milad event on Feb. 25, 2024. Rescue 1122 reported that 40‑year‑old Muhammad Azam drowned in the Sutlej River while attempting to cross it; his companion was rescued and authorities launched a search for Azam's body. In Manchester, a jury convicted seven men, led by market‑stallholder Mohammed Zahid, of grooming and repeatedly raping two vulnerable girls from age 13 between 2001 and 2006. Zahid was jailed for 35 years and the seven men's combined sentences total 174 years. Prosecutors said Zahid and his associates plied the victims with free underwear, money, alcohol, drugs and gifts before abusing them repeatedly — often in squalid flats, cars and isolated locations — and police described the offenders' conduct as preying on vulnerability for depraved sexual gain.