A Pakistani appellate court has upheld the death sentences of two men who assaulted a stranded French tourist alongside a major motorway, bringing legal closure to a case that triggered nationwide protests over victim-blaming and systemic failures.
Two judges dismissed the final appeals of Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali on Wednesday. The men were originally convicted of terrorism, kidnapping, robbery and gang rape by an anti-terrorism court in March 2021, according to the English-language publication Dawn.
How A Stranded Car Led To A Motorway Attack Near Lahore
The incident unfolded on 9 September 2020, when a mother and her three children ran out of fuel while driving out of Lahore.
Stranded in the dark, she parked alongside the Sialkot–Lahore Motorway and locked the doors to wait for emergency assistance. Malhi and Ali approached the isolated car and shattered a window.
They pulled the woman out of the vehicle and into the surrounding area. The attackers then raped her at gunpoint while her young children were forced to witness the assault.
Before fleeing the scene, the assailants robbed the family, taking personal items including her bank cards, jewellery and cash.
How Phone Data And DNA Evidence Secured The Convictions
Police launched a manhunt immediately after the attack. Even though she was traumatised, the victim was able to give officers a basic physical description of the men as they fled.
Detectives then tracked the attackers by analysing mobile phone location data from the surrounding area. On that basis, police arrested them within days.
Forensic teams also recovered DNA samples from the scene. These biological markers were a match for both suspects, giving prosecutors a strong evidential foundation.
The survivor later identified her attackers during a preliminary court hearing. Faced with extensive physical evidence, Ali submitted a formal written confession to a local magistrate.
Pakistan has announced that the men convicted of gang-raping a French tourist in front of her three children after her car ran out of fuel will be executed.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 3, 2026
Public Anger Over Victim-Blaming By Senior Police
The assault intensified long-running debates about how women are treated in Pakistan. Public anger grew when Umer Sheikh, a senior police official in Lahore, spoke to the media.
Just a day after the crime, Sheikh questioned why the woman was driving without a male companion so late at night and scrutinised her decision to take the motorway instead of a busier route.
His comments were widely seen as blaming the victim for the violence she experienced and sparked protests across several Pakistani cities.
Activists described his words as unapologetic 'victim-blaming', and many citizens condemned the official's stance. Demonstrators took to social media to demand that the authorities hang the convicted men in public, calling the case a 'travesty'.
Pakistan has sentenced two men who raped a female French tourist to death today.
— WarMonitor🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@WarMonitor3) June 3, 2026
The Continuing Push For Tougher Sentences For Rapists
Activists have used the momentum from this trial to press for wider legal reforms and stricter punishments for sexual offenders. While sexual abuse remains a persistent issue for Pakistani women, attacks specifically targeting foreign nationals are comparatively rare.
Cultural stigma frequently deters victims from reporting assaults to the authorities. This reporting gap is compounded by weaknesses in the legal system and inconsistent investigations by local police.
Defence lawyers previously argued that there were 'gaps' in the prosecution timeline and claimed the original judgment was 'unjust'. However, the appellate court rejected these arguments in light of the forensic evidence.
Pakistan continues to maintain some of the strictest capital punishment policies in the world, according to the advocacy group Justice Project Pakistan. If the sentences are carried out, both men will be hanged at a state facility.
