#JusticeforZainab: 2 killed in protests after 8-year-old raped and strangled in Pakistan; celebs demand justice

"We will not bury her until we get justice," said the father of an eight-year-old girl, who was raped and strangled in Pakistan.

Violence erupted in Pakistan on Wednesday after the body of the minor was found dumped in a garbage dumpster on January 9. Two civilians were killed and one was injured after officers fired live rounds to disperse crowds that gathered to voice their anger over the rape and murder of the minor.

Also Read: Child aged 2 accused of sexual offence and a 6-year-old accused of rape

Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the spokesman for Pakistan's Punjab province, told Reuters that protests turned violent after a mob attacked a police official.

"They started throwing stones at the office and some of the armed protesters shot bullets at police. In order to stop them, police resorted to aerial firing," Khan said.

However, locals said that the protests were peaceful but police responded by firing after students threw stones.

"A peaceful protest was taking place, some students threw stones and police responded by firing at the crowd," resident Saleem ur Rehman told Reuters. "The law and order situation here is really bad and there have been many such incidents. That is what the protest was about."

The minor had been staying with her aunt as her parents travelled to Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, she went out for Koran recital and never returned home, according to reports.

Police found her body lying in a dumpster and the post-mortem report says that she had been raped multiple times and strangled four or five days earlier. The CCTV footage from the nearby area shows the girl walking with a stranger outside her home. 

The father of the victim has said that they will not bury her body till the time justice is served, while her mother cried for justice. "I want justice! I want justice!" the girl's mother told reporters at the international airport in Islamabad.

Regional police officer Zulfiqar Hameed said that they are investigating the case and till now, four people have been arrested and one killed during an arrest attempt.

"Investigations reveal that in each case a paedophile kidnaps little girls, rapes them and kills them," he told Reuters, adding, "We have got CCTV footage that shows a young man taking her along. We will catch him very soon."

Meanwhile, Pakistani celebrities and personalities have taken to Twitter demanding justice. From Mahira Khan to Pakistani activists Malala Yousafzai, several known personalities have tweeted with #JusticeForZainab hashtag.