Day: December 10, 2011

By: Mian Dawood

LAHORE — It was perhaps most painful moment for a poor mother when an investigation officer (IO) of Narowaal police declared her two minor daughters who were abducted about two month ago in the court as loose character girls.

An IO submitted his investigation report before Lahore High Court Justice Abdul Waheed Khan and affirmed two minor sisters Raheela and Noshaba, aged 8 and 10 respectively, had not good character and both were also baggers.

Surriya Bibi, a resident of Saddique Pura, Narowal had submitted in her habeas corpus petition that Karamat Ali, Mustafa and Mudassar had kidnapped her tow minor daughters namely Raheela,8, and Noshaba, 10, from her house on October 8. Noshaba is deprived from the blessing of speak. Ms Surriya stated she recognised Mudassar during the incident because he was living as tenant in the area. She approached the city Narowaal police to register a case against the accused but police denied to do so. She prayed the court to issue orders to police to recover her daughters.

Justice Abdul Waheed Khan has summoned investigation officer (IO) of city Narowaal police sub-inspector Liaqat. The IO submitted his investigation report before the court. He declared tow minor girls as baggers having recognition as loose character girls in the area. He told the court that police had arrested tow accused Mudassar and Karamat and they are being interrogated. He had already informed the judge that Mudassar was a pimp and he also performed the job of supplying the girls in the area.

At this, petitioner’s counsel raised objections on the IO’s report and questioned how it was possible that two sisters below the age of 10 years could be declared as loose character. During arguments, the counsel alleged that Narowaal police were playing in the hands of local politicians and they had released another accused, arrested some days ago, on the recommendation of local MPA.

Interestingly, the IO’s report read at one stage that Mudassar, Karamat and Mustafa had abducted Noshaba while Raheela had been taken by Chann Becha, his wife Kosar Bibi of the same area.

On the second part of the report, the IO claimed that Raheela herself left the house about three months ago and she went with an employee of Lucky Irani Circus which was held in Narowal about one month ago. And, someone has informed Surriya Bibi by telephone that her daughter Noshaba, who cannot speak clearly, was bagging at the road of Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore. The IO claimed in the report that police were trying their best to trace and recover the minor sisters.

After his report, Justice Abdul Waheed Khan remarked, “A mother has become rolling stone for the last two months but the police have failed to recover her minor kids.”

The judge ordered forth time to Narowaal police to recover both sisters as soon as possible till the date of next hearing December 21.

Talking to TheNation, after the hearing, Surriya Bibi and her husband Liaqat alleged that the accused Mudassar and his accomplices were a running a gang of pimps in the area. “They have collected reports during last two months that the kidnappers have sold their minor daughters to some owners of brothel houses,” the old couple said, adding that police were giving protocol to accused in the police stations and an accused has been released on the request of some influential people of the area.

An officer of the said police station told TheNation on condition of anonymity that the kidnappers were very strong gang of the area.

“Firstly, they took a house on rent in any area and then build strong relations with their neighbours to abduct their daughters.

They are agents of brothel owners and are much influential,” the officer revealed and added police were unable to take action against them because politicians and feudalists were on backing them.

Source: THE NATION

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that role of women especially girl students is of vital importance to national development and the goal of rapid progress and prosperity of the country can be achieved through their empowerment.

He said that Punjab government is utilising all available resources for this purpose.

He also announced setting up of a separate fund for the provision of job opportunities to young women.

He said that Kinnaird College is a prominent educational institution of the country and has a glorious record of academic and extracurricular activities.

He said that Kinnaird College has produced prominent personalities which are rendering commendable services in judiciary, administration and other sectors.

He was addressing a seminar on women empowerment at Kinnaird College, here on Friday.

Women members of national and provincial assemblies, Principal, teachers and a large number of students were present on the occasion.

Addressing the seminar, the Chief Minister said that women constitute more than half of the country’s population and this fact should be accepted.

He said that Pakistan faced a national tragedy by negating majority due to which the country was disintegrated.

He said that granting of rights to women is essential for ensuring their participation in the efforts for development and progress.

He said that Pakistani women are rendering glorious services in science, medicine, arts and other sectors and a major chunk of funds allocated for top position holders in examinations goes to girl students.

He said that the new generation should rise up for the implementation of the national agenda of development and transforming Pakistan in accordance with the ideals of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.

Commenting on national situation, the Chief Minister said that national resources have not been developed despite a lapse of 64 years due to which Pakistan is lagging far behind in the race for progress and prosperity.

He said that India, Bangladesh and other countries have strengthened their economies through hard work and commitment.

He said that only hard work is the key to progress and development and it is the time for inculcating this spirit and making sincere efforts for national progress.

He said that elite of the country has been enjoying all privileges but the majority of the population has been deprived of even basic facilities.

He said that time has come to ensure equitable distribution of resources and include the marginalised segments of society into national mainstream through providing them basic amenities.

He said that Pakistan is not the name of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and other big cities only but small towns and villages are also part of this country.

He said that unless the youth living in the dusty streets of small cities and towns are provided with the opportunities of development, the fate of the country cannot be changed.

He said that it is high time we should change the course of history and face the challenges and problems courageously for putting the country on the road to progress and development.

He said that only those nations progress and prosper that rely on their own resources and live within their means instead of begging from others.

He said that in order to rid the country of the charity of Aghyaar, the indigenous resources will have to be developed as it is the only way to survive as a living nation.

He said that had Pakistan not been a beggar country it would not have to face the tragedy of the death of its 25 Army officers and Jawans.

He said that shedding tears over such incidents and issuance of messages of lamentation is futile rather for that a decision will have to be made at national level.

Referring to the measures for the development of the province and uplift of different sectors, he said that all out resources are being utilised for the welfare and betterment of the masses and effective steps have been taken for the development of education, health, transport and other sectors.

He said that Punjab Educational Endowment Fund has been set up first time in the history of the country and 30 thousand talented students are being provided with scholarships from the fund.

He said that government has started provision of interest-free loans of one billion rupees to skilled youth for starting their own business and women can also obtain these loans.

Earlier, Principal Kinnaird College Dr Rukhsana David while highlighting the curricular and co-curricular activities of the college said that the students have shown excellent performance in both these fields.

She said that cricket team of Kinnaird College is the best team of the country while students of the college have also obtained top positions in different examinations.

She said that Kinnaird College is playing an important role in equipping girls with modern education.

Source: BUSINESS RECORDER

LAHORE: A CONSTITUTIONAL petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, praying to eliminate reserved seats in the National and Provincial assemblies for women and direct the Election Commission to hold election on the reserved seats.

Advocate Tariq Aziz filed the petition and stated that 188 women parliamentarians were sitting in the assemblies after being nominated by their party heads. He said these women parliamentarians were not public representatives but a burden on the public exchequer. The petitioner prayed to the court to eliminate the reserved seats and order the ECP to hold election.

Source: DAWN

By Nasir Iqbal Khattak

KARAK: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a young man as he came out of a court in Takht Nusrati after the proceedings of the alleged gang rape of his sister in Karak on Friday.

Alamzeb Khattak, 24, had steadfastly supported his sister`s fight for justice in the face of threats and unrelenting pressure from the accused who include three policemen.

His cold-blooded murder in the precinct of a court prompted the provincial home department order “a thorough and transparent probe into any security lapse” and to task the police hierarchy to arrest the audacious killers as soon as possible.

Alamzeb had gone to the court to attend hearing where four of the accused arrested a few days ago were produced.

According to witnesses, he was attacked soon after he stepped out of the courtroom at around 1:30pm and died instantly. His body was brought to the tehsil headquarters hospital, Takht Nusrati tehsil for autopsy. Police registered an FIR against ASI Hakeem Khan, his brother Ibrahim, Waheedullah and three unidentified persons.

Police had arrested the four accused in the rape case, including inspector Peer Mohsin Shah, sub-inspector Ameer Mohammad, assistant sub-inspector Hakeem Khan and one Qamar Ali, on December 3 after their pre-arrest bail was cancelled by an additional district and sessions judge.

They were later remanded in the police custody for five days on whose expiry, they were produced before the court of civil judge-cum-judicial magistrate on Friday and were sent to jail.

A family member of Mr Alamzeb said there was a brief altercation between Hakeem Khan`s brothers and the slain person on the premises of the court after the latter objected to the `friendly` treatment extended to the accused by police.The policemen along with several other people were charged by the alleged rape victim and her family with abduction, illegal confinement and gang rape. The victim, who was a ninth grade student when she was kidnapped last year, has now been in advance stage of pregnancy.

On the orders of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, a committee headed by provincial home secretary Mohammad Azam Khan was formed to look into the alleged gang rape. The committee expressed dismay over the investigation into the case and made many recommendations.

Of late, the girl`s family alleged that two people claiming to be associated with a group of the Taliban visited them and warned them against pursuing case against Hakeem Khan besides wanting abortion of pregnancy.

Also, the slain person had claimed that family members and friends of the accused had been pressuring his family, including his sister, for an out-of-court settlement.

When contacted, district police officer Sajid Ahmad Mohmand said Mr Alamzeb`s family had enmity with many families in the area and therefore, it would be premature to say who was involved in his killing.

He said police had thoroughly investigated Mr Alamzeb`s claim that he was threatened by the Taliban, and found it to be untrue.

Earlier in the day, scores of people from Takht Nusrati staged a sit-in outside the court of additional district and session judge Takht Nusrati against the cancellation of the bail of the three police officials and said they had been implicated in a fake case.

Led by former councilor of Alikhel Haqdad, they demanded fresh and impartial inquiry into the case. They later blocked the Karak-Mianwali Road in Takht Nusrati Bazaar and at Gul Khan Shah Chowk suspending traffic for a few hours. INQUIRY ORDERED:

In a letter issued by the deputy secretary (administration) of the department in Peshawar to the provincial police chief, it was stated that the subject murder in broad day light in such a high profile case and that too adjacent to the court reflected poorly on professionalism of the local police and it seemed that appropriate security measures were not in place.

“In the given circumstances it is requested to not only expedite completion of investigation into the rape incident, but also to initiate a thorough and transparent probe into the security lapse (if any) pertaining to the incident, especially so when some of those charged of rape were police officials, and take appropriate necessary action in light of that probe,” it stated. PROTEST:

Civil society groups in Peshawar condemned the killing and criticised the provincial government for failing to provide protection to the alleged gang rape victim`s family.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil society Network, comprising human rights organisations, demanded that the DPO and DCO of Karak be immediately transferred for influencing the investigation into the case to safeguard the interests of the accused policemen.

Source: DAWN