Elon Musk praises Pakistan after rape case ruling, says West should emulate its justice system
The billionaire says West should emulate the ruling; court dismisses appeals of both convicts, maintaining all sentences including death penalty for rape
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has praised Pakistan's judiciary after the Lahore High Court upheld the death sentences of two men convicted in a high-profile motorway gang-rape case on 3 June 2026.
Reacting to the ruling on X on 3 June, Musk wrote: "Bravo Pakistan! This is what we should be doing in the West," reports Gulf News.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa dismissed the appeals filed by Abid Malhi and Shafqat Baga, maintaining all sentences awarded by an anti-terrorism court.
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The case stems from a brutal attack on a French woman travelling with her children on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway in September 2020.
After her vehicle broke down, she was assaulted by armed men in an incident that sparked nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of public safety and law enforcement.
An FIR was registered at Lahore's Gujjarpura Police Station on 9 September 2020, and in March 2021 an anti-terrorism court sentenced both men to death for rape.
In addition to the death penalty, the trial court imposed 14-year prison terms and fines of Rs250,000 each for robbery, life imprisonment for abducting the victim's children, and five years for damaging her vehicle. The Lahore High Court upheld all these sentences.
During the hearing, lawyers for the convicts argued the trial court had failed to properly assess the facts and requested the convictions be overturned.
Prosecutor Raheela Shahid opposed the appeals, arguing the original verdict was based on strong evidence and was legally sound. The court agreed with the prosecution.
Punjab Prosecutor General Farhad Ali Shah described the case as a major test for the criminal justice system and credited investigators and prosecutors for securing the convictions.
The investigation relied on the victim's identification of the suspects, DNA evidence linking one accused to the crime scene, and mobile phone records that helped track the second suspect.
The Lahore High Court's decision brings the high-profile case a step closer to conclusion, although further legal options may remain available to the convicts under Pakistan's judicial system.
