zainab ansari
A little girl seeks justice for Zainab during a protest in Pakistan.Reuters

As Pakistan continues to express outrage over the rape and murder of eight-year-old Zainab Ansari, news anchor Kiran Naz on Thursday, January 11, protested in her own way by bringing her daughter to the news bulletin during a Samaa TV broadcast.

She stated during the live telecast that she was hurt as a mother, and later delivered a highly moving speech on the safety of girls in Pakistan.

Her daughter sat on her lap as she made a powerful statement: "Today, I am not your news anchor Kiran Naz. Today I am here as a mother. This is why I am sitting here with my daughter. It is true when they say that the smallest coffins are the heaviest, and entire Pakistan is burdened by the weight of her [Zainab's] coffin."

The popular news anchor slammed the ongoing police investigation and the politics around rape cases in Pakistan, even as she demanded that justice for the little girl take precedence and the accused be brought to justice as soon as possible.

The little girl's murder first enraged the locals in Kasur as they attacked a police station to seek swift justice. However, when the police found it difficult to handle the mob, they opened fire, killing two and injuring three others.

The cops, meanwhile, have claimed that there have been no delays in the investigations into the case.

As per reports on Reuters, regional police officer Zulfiqar Hameed said four of the accused in the case have been arrested and one was killed during the arrest attempt. He added that the case of Zainab would be solved soon.

Zainab Ansari who was on her way for Quranic studies to a house near her home in the city of Kasur when she was allegedly abducted, raped and murdered by an unidentified man last week.

Her parents had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and had left her in the care of her aunt.

The entire nation of Pakistan was outraged after her body was found in a garbage bin on Tuesday.

The father of the victim has said he will not bury her body until justice is done.