Sept 28, 2026
By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court, while rejecting the grounds for withdrawing the bail of Zain Ali, an accused in the sexual assault of a madrassa student, stated that if the accused is innocent, he should prove it during the trial.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Jamal Mandokhail heard the bail application of Zain Ali, an accused in the sexual assault of a madrasa student in Taxila, where the counsel for the accused informed the court that a false case was registered by the complainant and that this is a small madrasa where such an act is not possible.
Justice Naeem Akhtar remarked that committing such an act in a madrasa is even more severe. The prosecutor informed the court that charges had already been framed against the accused, after which Justice Jamal Mandokhail stated that if the accused is innocent, he should prove it during the trial. Later, the court rejected the bail of the accused, Zain Ali.
A tragic incident came to light within the jurisdiction of Taxila Police Station, where a 14-year-old madrasa student was allegedly subjected to sexual assault. Police initiated proceedings after registering a case on the complaint of the student’s father.
According to the FIR, complainant Javed Khan gave a statement to the police that his 14-year-old son, a student of 9th grade, is memorizing the Quran at a madrasa located at Gohad Mor, Taxila. On the evening of April 28, 2026, when his son returned home from the madrasa, he was in a distressed state and deeply terrified.
Upon being questioned, the son told his parents that madrasa teacher Zain Ali, son of Zulfiqar Ahmad, took him to a room located on the roof of the madrasa and forcibly subjected him to sexual assault.
According to the victim child, the accused also issued severe threats of consequences if he told anyone about the incident.
Sahil Report
The non-governmental organization “Sahil,” which is active for the rights, protection, and prevention of atrocities against children, had released its report regarding incidents of child abuse, sexual exploitation, and violence across the country.
According to the report released by Sahil, a total of 3,630 cases of child abuse and exploitation were reported across the country during the year 2025, indicating that in our society, an average of 9 to 10 children daily fall victim to abuse, rape, abduction, or other forms of violence.
The statistics reveal that among the affected children, 53 percent were girls and 47 percent were boys, which is clear evidence that both girls and boys are equally falling victim to this brutality.
Furthermore, according to data for the first half of the year 2026 (January to June), a further 1,914 cases have surfaced in a short period of just six months, further illustrating the gravity of the situation.
Detailing the nature of the crimes, the report disclosed that the largest number among the total incidents was of abductions, with 1,107 cases reported. In addition, 596 cases of sodomy, 522 cases of gang and individual rape, 365 cases of missing children, and 141 cases of attempted sexual abuse were recorded. The most painful and heartbreaking reality is that 58 innocent children were brutally murdered after being subjected to sexual abuse.
Age-wise, children aged 11 to 15 years became the primary victims of these crimes, while innocent children aged 6 to 10 years were also not safe from these harrowing incidents.
Reviewing the distribution of cases at the provincial level, Punjab topped the list with 73 percent of incidents, while hundreds of cases were also reported from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Another extremely bitter and eye-opening aspect of the report is that the majority of those who harmed the children were not strangers, but their own acquaintances, relatives, neighbors, or close individuals.
In most incidents, the accused took advantage of the children’s trust or enticed them with some inducement to subject them to this brutality. Child rights experts and social organizations have expressed deep concern over this situation, demanding immediate and effective measures from the government, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary.