Elon Musk praises Pakistan judiciary over motorway gang-rape case verdict

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has praised Pakistan’s judiciary after the Lahore High Court upheld the death sentences of two men convicted in the 2020 motorway gang-rape case, a crime that shocked the nation.

Reacting to the ruling on X, Musk said the decision reflected the kind of strict justice he believes Western countries should adopt for serious offences. “

Bravo Pakistan! This is what we should be doing in the West,” he wrote, following the court’s dismissal of the convicts’ appeals.

The verdict was issued by a two-member bench of the Lahore High Court, comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa.

The bench rejected appeals filed by Abid Malhi and Shafqat Baga and upheld all punishments previously awarded by an anti-terrorism court, according to media reports.

The case relates to the September 2020 assault on a woman travelling with her children on the Lahore–Sialkot Motorway after her vehicle broke down.

The incident, carried out by armed men, triggered nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of public safety mechanisms.

The court maintained the death sentences for rape, along with additional penalties including imprisonment and fines related to robbery, abduction, and other offences.