Day: December 24, 2011

By: Javed Aziz Khan

PESHAWAR: The busting of a gang, members of which belonged to respectable families and involved in rape and blackmailing of young boys and girls, was made possible when a female student of the University of Peshawar approached the local police following her rape and blackmailing by the management of a guesthouse on the University Road.

Police busted the gang involved in the rape and blackmailing of over 20 young girls from respectable and notable families who mistakenly landed at the guesthouse located on the University Road in the jurisdiction of the Tehkal Police Station. The gang also used to lure males through five female prostitutes and blackmail them after making their films through a hidden camera fixed in the doors.

A police official said a female student of the University of Peshawar approached the authorities of the capital city police to narrate her tale of ordeal. “She said she went to the guesthouse along with a male friend last week when she found her university hostel closed. The girl admitted that she was late and after finding no place the two decided to stay at the guesthouse,” the official told The News.

The official added that the boy had to run away when the management of the guesthouse threatened to hand him over to police as he didn’t have any legitimate reason to stay with the girl. “He was told that the management would return the female to her family. In his presence, the guesthouse managers arranged for her a taxi to take her home,” explained the official.

However, the girl told the police that after boarding the taxi she was brought to the same guesthouse as the taxi driver too was a member of the gang. She recalled that later one Khalil not only assaulted her at the guesthouse but also filmed the entire episode.

The girl was allowed to go the next morning, but was told to come to the guesthouse whenever she was called. Otherwise, she was threatened that the film would be circulated all over the city. The victim after finding no other way to get the criminals fixed decided to approach the police. She also provided all the proofs she had against the gang.

“We have arrested the management of the guesthouse as well as the five prostitutes. The films have also been seized,” Superintendent of Police (SP-Cantonment) Mian Saeed Ahmed said.

He added that a case had been registered against the gang under Sections 371 A, B, 294, 4PO and 9C of the Pakistan Penal Code. The official said that all the managers and owner of the guesthouses in University Town have been called for a meeting for Monday where they would have to clarify that they were not involved in such activities. “I have made it clear that they would not be spared if such a thing happened to anyone in future,” said the SP Cantonment.

“The female student who approached us may have committed a mistake but what happened to her is shocking. The culprits need to be punished for ruining the lives of the youth from respectable families,” said Mian Saeed.

There have been reports since long that many guesthouses, hotels and rest houses in the city were not only being used as brothels but those staying there were later blackmailed through hidden cameras installed in the rooms. A number of such videos were later circulated through cellular phones and are available with the dealers of mobile phones sets.

Source: The News

KARACHI: Women rights activists and law practitioners at a seminar on Friday called for effective implementation of the recently enacted laws providing enhanced and deterrent punishment for anti-woman practices in the country.

They lauded the efforts made by women parliamentarians as well as women rights activists which led to the legislation, and hoped that crimes against women in the guise of ‘customary practices’, continued gender discrimination and infringement and manipulation of women’s basic rights would now be checked effectively.

The seminar was organised by the Legislative Watch Programme for Women Empowerment (LWP-WE) of the Aurat Foundation at a local hotel to discuss implementation of the Prevention of Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act, 2011.

President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent to the bill on Thursday after it was passed by the National Assembly on Nov 15 and then by the Senate on Dec 12.

Under the third amendment to the Act, several practices and customs, particularly in the rural areas of the country, that were not only against human dignity but also violated human rights and Islamic teachings could be prevented now, said Rubina Brohi, the LWP-WE regional coordinator.

Now anyone forcing a girl/woman into marriage under Badal-i-sulah, Wanni’, Swara or any other custom or practice, depriving a woman of her property rights or forcing a woman to marry the Holy Quran would have to face imprisonment, she added.

The main speakers at the seminar included Advocate Haq Nawaz Talpur, Zarin Majeed (Muttahida Qaumi Movement), Nusrat Seher Abbasi (Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid), Sharmila Farooqui (Pakistan People’s Party), Mahnaz Rahman of the Aurat Foundation and Nilofar Farrukh of the Women Action Forum.

Participants were informed that the substitution of Section 310 A of the Pakistan Penal Code (1860) stated that “whoever gives a female in marriage or otherwise compels her to enter into marriage, as Badal-i-sulah, Wanni, or Swara or any other custom or practice under any name, in consideration of settling a civil dispute or a criminal liability, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years but shall not be less than three years and shall also be liable to fine of five hundred thousand rupees.”

A new chapter, XXA, containing three clauses has also been inserted in the code seeking prohibition of three offences against women. The offences punishable with various terms of imprisonment and fines include depriving a woman of inherited property, forced marriage and marriage with the Holy Quran.

Section 498-A states that whoever by deceitful or illegal means deprives any woman of inheriting any movable or immovable property at the time of opening of succession shall be punished with imprisonment for either description for a term which may extend to 10 years but not be less than five years or with a fine of Rs1 million or both.

Section 498-B states that whoever coerces or in any manner whatsoever compels a woman to enter into marriage shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term, which may extend to seven years or for a term which shall not be less than three years and shall also be liable to fine of Rs500,000.

Another bill passed into law was the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 2011 which envisages a jail term of 14 years to life imprisonment for crimes of disfiguring and defacing of human organ/body by corrosive substance.

Advocate Talpur hoped that forced marriages and consequent excesses against womenfolk, particularly in the rural, feudal and tribal settings would decrease after the amendments if the laws were implemented in letter and spirit.

He said that the Act also stopped the provincial governments from suspending or remitting sentences passed under 401, 402 or 402B (cases of rape). However, he observed, with the passage of time, in case of practical difficulties in the implementation of these laws and in order to further improve them, changes for various sections, including Section 426 of the code, would also be required.

MPA Abbasi said that the passage of the amendments proved that women parliamentarians had started plying an effective role in the legislation process. She hoped that some sets of draft legislations against harassment of women, domestic violence and violence against home-based workers would also be tabled in the parliament at the earliest.

Ms Majeed said that the passage of the bills in question was a major development towards empowerment of women, which despite constituting 52 per cent of the country’s population were faced with difficulties in this male-dominated society. “Now we should ensure infrastructures for the implementation of the laws at an accelerated pace so that the culprits could be penalised,” she added.

CM’s Adviser Sharmila Farooqui said that the new laws would discourage all those who disrespected women and disregarded their dignity. “While it is expected that the perpetrators (of crime against woman) would be checked, women should speak up and join the civil society in further sensitising people and policy makers on their issues in order to help curb the anti-women mindset,” she said.

Ms Rahman stressed the need for a review of working hours for women workers and an effective check on violence and harassment against women both at workplaces and homes.

Source: Dawn

MIRPURKHAS: Two sisters of a scheduled caste community were allegedly subjected to gang-rape by three armed men in Faqeer Ilyas Mangrio village near Aatana Mori in Sindhri taluka on Thursday.

An FIR lodged by the girls` brother said that his sisters, aged 16 and 21 years, had gone to nearby field in the wee hours to answer call of nature when the three men gang-raped them at gunpoint.

The victims told reporters at Civil Hospital Mirpurkhas where were sent for medical check-up that Ali Akbar Shar, Talib Shar and Ahmed Machhi subjected them to gang-rape and torture when they resisted.

Dr Rahila Khaskheli said that preliminary examination showed evidence the sisters had been tortured and raped.

Phuladiyoon police have registered a case against the three accused but made no arrests till late Friday evening.

Source: Dawn

SUKKUR: In order to celebrate the National Day of Working Women, the Inter Global Human Development Society (IGHDS) on Friday organised a rally from Mirpur Mathelo Chowk to DCO office Ghotyki to highlight the struggle of Pakistani working women.

The rally, comprised women from the police, representatives of the NGOs, civil society, government officials, women farmers from Nagarparkar, Hyderabad and others, exhibited a show of strength and support on behalf of working women from all over Pakistan.
The women were carrying posters and banners representing their organisations.

Civil society representatives, along with their group of working women and women farmers joined the rally and celebrated this historic day.

Last year, on December 22, 2010, the Prime Minister announced December 22 as the National Day for Working Women for Pakistan to mark their struggle and efforts for a dignified working environment and to safeguard their constitutional right of earning their livelihood with dignity.

Source: Business Recorder