Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by a convict challenging the death sentence awarded to him for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in Kasur, Dawn reported. A three-judge bench upheld the death penalty handed to Imran Ali by an anti-terrorism court.

The girl’s father thanked the top court and the Joint Investigation Team for maintaining the verdict. He also reiterated that the convict should be publicly hanged, The Express Tribune reported.

The girl’s body was found in a heap of trash days after she went missing from near her aunt’s house in Kasur on January 4. She was on her way to a tuition centre, and her parents were in Saudi Arabia for Haj. Her death triggered massive protests in the district, where there had been 11 similar cases over 12 months.

Ali was arrested on January 23. An anti-terrorism court handed him four counts of death penalty, one life term and a fine of 32 lakh Pakistani rupees (approximately Rs 18.63 lakh) in February.