Does anyone remember the Safia Bibi case from 1983? How did this even happen?

I recently came across the case of Safia Bibi, the 13-year-old blind girl who was raped by her employer and his son in 1983, and yet she was the one convicted of zina because she couldn't produce four witnesses. She was sentenced to 15 lashes, 3 years in prison, and a fine, while the rapists walked free. This was under the Hudood Ordinances during Zia-ul-Haq’s regime.

I’m honestly struggling to wrap my head around how an educated judge could come to such an embarrassing verdict. How?

How can someone in a position of legal authority misapply Islamic law so badly? Islamic shari'a clearly differentiates between zina and rape, and rape doesn't require four witnesses—it allows for physical evidence, victim testimony, etc...let alone flipping it and convicting the victim. So how could this ruling even stand in a court?

For those who were around at the time or know the history better, what was the public reaction like when this happened? Was there a vast outrage immediately? Were people talking about this?

I know her conviction was eventually overturned after public pressure, but it was only after she had already been through 15 lashes and 6 months of prison time...how did this even get that far in the first place?

Would love to hear people’s thoughts or memories about how this case was viewed back then.