Day: January 25, 2012

KARACHI: A three-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a hitherto unidentified man in a Gulberg area, police said on Monday.

They said that the incident occurred in Bengali Para, or Rehmanabad, within the remit of the Gulberg police station on Sunday evening.

The victim was kidnapped by the man when she had gone out of her house to buy some sweets. He took her to a nearby vacant house and subjected her to a sexual assault, they added.

They said that when the victim returned home she informed her family about the tragedy and the family told the police about it on Monday.

The girl underwent a medical examination at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors confirmed that the little girl had been raped, police said, adding that a case (FIR 21/2012) was registered under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the victim`s father.

Source: Dawn

By Kashif Zafar

BAHAWALPUR: A man was accused of murdering his two younger sisters on suspicion of their having had an affair on Tuesday.

According to police officials, Hasilpur Chak No 13 resident Nadeem killed his two younger sisters after he suspected both of having relations with two men in the village. “Nadeem had heard a rumor that both of his sisters were in a relationship with two local residents,” said a neighbour Bilal Shah.

Samreen, 22, and Parveen, 20, were both shot while they were at home working in the kitchen and Nadeem fled the scene.

Their neighbour Hashim told The Express Tribune that somebody had been spreading rumours about both women in the village. “Nadeem was misled regarding their character. Nadeem was in prison until a week ago in a robbery case and when he was released someone taunted him about his sisters’ ‘activities’ while he had been away. Then he killed them,” he said.

Nadeem’s father Falak Sher said that both of his daughters were working in the kitchen, when Nadeem reached home and told them to serve him lunch immediately. “They said that they were still making lunch and asked him to wait for fifteen minutes. When they went back to the kitchen he pulled out the gun and shot them,” Sher told police.

“I don’t know of any accusations against my girls. They were both of good character and they were killed because of his temper,” he said.

According to the Hasilpur Saddar Investigation Officer Liaqat Ali, the police had lodged an FIR under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against Nadeem and were searching for his whereabouts.

“We have found evidence that both girls were talking on their cell phone in the kitchen when Nadeem went inside. He probably suspected them of calling some men and shot them,” Ali said. Police officials are still investigating the details of the case.

“There is evidence that Nadeem killed his sisters on suspicion but their father denies these charges. He says Nadeem lost his temper because his food wasn’t served on time,” Ali said.

Police have sent the bodies of both girls for an autopsy and are searching for Nadeem’s whereabouts.

Source: The Express Tribune

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday debated with concern that admission of more girl students to medical colleges in the province was resulting in wastage of huge funds because a large number of girls did not practice after getting MBBS degrees.

Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Saeed Elahi calmly replied to the objections from both sides of the divide on the issue.

Replying to a supplementary question by PML-N’s Nighat Sheikh, Mr Elahi said after the Supreme Court decision (on open merit admissions) 70 per cent of seats in medical colleges went to girl students every year. But, according to the University of Health Sciences, only 30 to 35 per cent of them worked as doctors.

He said the time limit for filing a review petition against the court ruling regarding the admissions had lapsed, but still a petition was being prepared.

When asked by Sheikh Allauddin, Mr Elahi said that in view of poor strength of boys, the government intended to increase the number of seats in medical colleges to 4,000 next year.

He said every country was facing shortage of doctors. The UHS, he said, was also allowing practice to those who had obtained MBBS degrees from China, Eastern Europe and Russia after a strict scrutiny.

PPP’s Ashraf Sohna also opposed the increased number of admissions to girl students but PML-Q’s Dr Samia Amjad favoured it. “Why don’t you mention male doctors who were leaving the country which spent millions of rupees on their education.”

When some members demanded that boys be admitted to Lahore’s Fatima Jinnah Medical College as well to maintain a gender balance in the medical community, Mr Elahi said the FJMC was meant for girls only who were shy of studying in the co-education system.

Responding to a question by PML-N’s Rana Afzal, Mr Elahi said CT Scan machines could not be installed in every medical facility in districts because of financial constraints.

To questions by PML-N’s Khwaja Muhammad Islam regarding the vacant seats of technical staff in hospitals of Faisalabad, he said this was due to non-availability of qualified people. However, the government was trying to get the required manpower by giving training to people. Those having required qualification were also reluctant to join government service because of low salaries.

When asked by the member as to how the hospitals in Faisalabad were operating without staff like angiography technicians and generator operators, Mr Elahi said the PIC in Lahore was sharing its staff with them twice a week.

Sheikh Allauddin asked as to why the government had recently allowed 400 doctors work abroad when it was facing their shortage. The parliamentary secretary said the permission was given only to those doctors whose number was in access in their field of specialisation.

To a question by PML-Q’s Seemal Kamran, he said the government wanted to improve the lots of pharmacists and for that purpose it had decided to give them non-practicing allowance besides allowing them internship in hospitals like house jobs for doctors.

Meanwhile, Mr Elahi promised action against staff of the Sargodha DHQ Hospital when a member mentioned the death of a boy because of lack of care and medicines in its emergency ward.

The speaker disallowed PPP’s minority member Najmi Saleem discuss demolition of a church in Garhi Shahu by the Punjab government. “You can talk on the issue during debate on a related adjournment motion already moved in the house,” he said.

Responding to an adjournment motion by his party’s Mian Rafiq, the minister said action against 4,219 vehicles using substandard CNG cylinders had been taken, and the government would check all those using it to ensure safety of people.

The speaker said this would be done after the mover demanded that public transport using comparatively low cost CNG cylinders should be asked not to charge fares as per the high priced diesel.

The speaker disposed of a number of adjournment motions because of the absence of their movers despite a plea by Chaudhry Zaheer that the law minister should at least be allowed to reply to them as per the assembly rules.

Source: Dawn

THE plight of Turbat Girls College is alarming. Here more than 300 students have to sit in one class. This is horrible.

Moreover, the college doesn’t have enough lecturers for mathematics and physics. I request the authorities concerned to look into the matter.

MULOOK DASHTI
Turbat

Source: Dawn

HYDERABAD: The government is advised to take stringent measures for safeguarding the rights of women and children by doing away with child labour and discriminatory laws. A girl is discriminated by her family in this patriarchal society from the moment she is born.

The Child Right Unit of the Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) in collaboration with an NGO ‘Save the Children’ arranged a seminar ‘Poverty, Child Labour and Women’s Rights which was largely attended by the human rights activists, students, children and women from remote villages of Dadu, Jamshoro, Umerkot and Tharparkar.

The TRDP’s Advocacy Specialist Pirbhu Satyani shared facts and figures regarding violation of women and children’s rights, all over Pakistan.

The government in 1996 conducted a research study which revealed the number of child labour at 3.3 million and since then there had been no official research, he said.

However, the TRDP conducted a baseline survey in 2007 which showed association of 36 per cent children of Dadu, Jamshoro, Umerkot and Tharparkar in labour practices, he said adding that 60 per cent household live under poverty line. The residents of these districts are deprived of education, health and clean water facilities.

Mr Satyani while delving on women issues said that disparities in families and domestic violence have placed female members at the highest risk. Prejudice begins the moment a girl is born to a family as she is looked down upon and then a chain of discriminatory attitude trials her to deathbed. People tend to invest less in girls as compared to boys in terms of education, health, food and clothes.

Mr Satyani urged the government to implement relevant laws and include informal child labour in the list of Employment of Children Act 2001, while at the same time initiate child and women-friendly projects for poverty eradication.

General Manager of the TRDP, Bhagwani Rathore asked all the stakeholders working for women and children to launch a campaign for their rights from a single platform.

Women activists Ms Rukhsana from Kotri and Mirzadi from Wahi Pandhi demanded of the government to immediately reopen girls’ schools in Dadu and Jamshoro with ensured quality education.

An official of the Society for Protection of Rights of Child, Kashif Bajeer demanded implementation of Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act 1992.

The HRCP Coordinator Ashu Thama slammed politicians for utilizing all their energies on NRO and memogate scandal, while neglecting women and children who are passing through a highly critical situation of human rights abuses in this province.

An activist of the Women Action Forum Ms Musarrat Haseen Shah laid stress on creating awareness among women and children about their rights.

SPO Mustafa Baloch asked the government to carry out its responsibility of addressing the issues of child labour and women’s rights, and civil society organizations to ensure full participation of children in every forum rather than their token participation. He emphasized on changing the mindset of the male-dominated society towards women and children.

They should be valued like their male members.

Chief operating officer, TRDP, Zafar Junejo said that women empowerment would help in eradicating child labour and poverty.

A play by the girls of Kanoth, Jamshoro was staged at the end of the session.

Source: Dawn