Veteran actor Bushra Ansari has expressed anger over a series of disturbing crime cases in Pakistan, questioning the country’s moral values and calling for those responsible to face severe punishment.
Speaking about the cases that have shocked the public, Ansari referred to the killing of five-year-old Ayat Noor in Haripur and the 2020 motorway gang-rape case involving convicts Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga.
“Hang all of them. Every time you wake up in the morning, there is another horrifying piece of news. God, what are we supposed to do? I even say, to hell with these people. They deserve it. Are we an Islamic country? We are worse than non-Muslims,” she stated firmly.
Ayat Noor went missing from Pathan Colony in Haripur on August 10 after leaving her home to play. Police recovered the five-year-old’s body on August 24 from a deep, dry well in a vacant plot near University Road.
Police said CCTV footage helped investigators identify five suspects in connection with the case. Three suspects were initially arrested, while a fourth suspect named Hassan Khan was later arrested. He identified the location of the well. Police also said some of the arrested suspects confessed to sexually assaulting the child and disposing of her body.
Reacting to the tragedy, Ansari spoke about the families of the victims and said she felt helpless while watching such cases unfold.
“Look at these people. See how compassionate they are. I am sitting in Canada, and I feel like going and hugging Ali Raza’s mother, then hugging little Ayat Noor’s mother. Who should I hug? What should I do? Why don’t they execute these people?”
Ansari also mentioned Abid Ali alias Malhi, one of the two men convicted in the 2020 Sialkot-Lahore Motorway gang-rape case. A Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga to death on March 20, 2021, along with additional prison terms and fines for other offences. Lahore High Court dismissed their appeals and upheld their death sentences on June 3, 2026.
“And it is not only the rich people who do not get executed. He is not even that rich. Abid Malhi, I have remembered his name, the motorway case accused. You even announced his execution, so why are you not carrying it out? Why don’t you execute them within 24 hours? Why are they not hanged,” she asked.
It is pertinent to mention here that convicts are allowed to appeal their sentences, including the death penalty, under Pakistani law.
She went on to question the pace of punishment for people convicted of serious crimes.
“Why don’t you hang them publicly? Why don’t you let dogs loose on them? Put food on their hands and feet and let hungry dogs loose on them, or let lions loose on them. Is there no law in the world? What are we? Are we animals,” she asked.
“Honestly, we are not even worthy of calling ourselves proper Muslims,” Ansari declared.
Ansari has enjoyed a decades-long career in Pakistani television, film and theatre. She became widely known through PTV’s Fifty Fifty and later appeared in acclaimed productions including Aangan Terha, Udaari and Tere Bin.
She received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2021 for her contributions to the performing arts.
