HARIPUR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday said the culprits involved in the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Haripur would be given exemplary punishment, adding that the Child Protection and Welfare Act was being made more stringent and renamed after the victim.

The girl went missing from outside her home in Haripur on August 10. Her body was recovered on August 24 from an unused well at a warehouse about a furlong from her home on the information provided by one of the four suspects arrested in the case.

Speaking to the media after offering his condolences to the girl’s family in Haripur on Saturday, CM Afridi vowed: “I assure you that whatever their [the suspects’] ages are, we will make an example out of them so that anyone committing such a beastly act will shudder before even thinking about it.”

He said the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act would be named after the minor girl and assured her family of support from the provincial government in bringing the culprits to justice.

The chief minister described the crime as inhumane and an act of savagery.

“If our government and administration cannot protect our children from the criminals who are committing such sins without any fear, we should close down our offices — there is no use for them,” he said.

CM Afridi directed the district administration, particularly the police, to further strengthen its writ to protect citizens of all ages. He also appealed to the judiciary to avoid granting relief to those involved in such incidents.

“For God’s sake, do not give any relief to such criminals,” he implored. The chief minister again assured the victim’s father of the provincial government’s full support and appeared visibly emotional while consoling the man.

According to PTI’s provincial chief whip, MPA Akbar Ayub Khan, the chief minister also announced financial assistance and a government job for the father.

He further said that the Government High School for Girls in Pathan Colony would be renamed after the victim and announced a Rs2 billion Safe City cameras project for Haripur city.