An 18-year-old college student, Aisha Fatima, died at District Headquarters Hospital in Jhang on Tuesday after allegedly being gang-raped and abducted, triggering a wave of public anger and calls for swift justice from Pakistani celebrities.
Aisha Fatima, a Grade 11 student, went missing four days before her death. Her family filed a missing persons report at Satellite Town Police Station shortly after her disappearance. She was later brought unconscious to a private hospital by unidentified men who fled the scene.
Due to the severity of her condition, she was transferred to DHQ Hospital Jhang, where she died.
CCTV footage obtained during the investigation showed the suspects dropping the victim at the hospital in a critical state before fleeing. Police arrested three suspects, identified as Haseeb, Amish, and Hassan, and seized the vehicle used in the crime. A manhunt is underway for a fourth suspect, Khalil.
Investigators said that findings from the autopsy and DNA tests will play a key role in determining the exact circumstances of the case. The victim’s father has appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for justice.
The case drew immediate reactions from celebrities on social media, with many demanding public accountability and swift punishment.
Singer Hadiqa Kiani called for immediate action, writing, “Another female victim. We demand justice and certainly not a delayed justice!!!”
Actress Sabeena Farooq directed her message at the provincial government, writing, “Iski public hanging chahye hamen govt of Punjab!!! Nothing else is acceptable now for us. HANG THEM PUBLICLY.”
Actress Sidra Niazi used the incident to address a broader cultural failing. “Every time a woman is attacked, harassed or subjected to such horrific violence, I find myself questioning where we are failing as a society,” she wrote. “How are we raising our children, especially our boys, that some grow up believing they have the right to punish, control or destroy a woman’s life?”
She also pushed back against the victim-blaming that followed on social media. “What disturbs me almost as much as the crime itself is the reaction that follows. The cruelty in some of the comments is beyond comprehension. Instead of outrage for the victim, people rush to interrogate her character, her choices, her clothes, her presence, her actions,” she wrote. “That mindset is not just insensitive, it is morally bankrupt. No rejection, disagreement, or personal grievance can ever justify violence.”
Actress Fazila Qazi shared wrote, “If you ever find time after teaching women how to sit, laugh, and walk, then also teach men how to be human.”
