Voice of Gender News From Pakistan
NOOR PUR THAL – The Punjab government is committed to make the process of economic development more effective by taking on board the women for national development and for this purpose hefty amount of Rs14 billion has been earmarked in the provincial budget for 2012-13.
This was stated by Social Welfare Deputy District Malik Imtiaz Ahmad Manghat while addressing a meeting at his office here on Tuesday.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday disposed of its suo motu notice case in the alleged gang rape case of Uzma Ayub without any action after the DNA and polygraph tests of the accused remained inconclusive.
A two-member bench in the suo motu notice case observed that the DNA tests of the baby girl of the rape victim remained negative. The bench said later the polygraph tests of the rape victim and the accused were carried out which, too, remained inconclusive.
The bench observed that in view of the reports and extensive examination it is difficult to make a decision by using constitutional jurisdiction. “The court has gone to every extent through expensive examination tests in the rape case of Uzma Ayub, but it cannot find even single piece of evidence against the accused,” the chief justice observed.
He noted that the PHC Human Rights Cell woman director had twice held meeting with the rape victim and after the DNA tests and polygraph report Uzma Ayub told the director that she did not want to pursue the suo motu case any more.
The investigation officer, Attiqullah Wazir and Uzma Ayub’s lawyer Surraya Jabeen remained quiet when the chief justice asked them whether the court could make any progress in the rape case. He said the court had conducted one judicial inquiry and three police inquiries through competent police officers including Attiqullah Wazir and Mohammad Idrees Khan.
IHC issues notices: Syrian asylum seeker seeks missing daughter
ISLAMABAD, June 19: A Syrian national who left his homeland in 2005 due to political instability and took asylum in Pakistan has lost his daughter allegedly to his Pakistani in-laws.
Mohammad Waeil Ayoubi, the Syrian national has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the recovery of his 6-year-old daughter, Rehma Ayoubi.
The IHC Justice Mohammad Azim Khan Afridi on Tuesday while hearing his petition issued notices to secretary interior, inspector general police Islamabad, petitioner’s wife Iraj Ayoubi, father-in-law Mazhar Sami Khan, mother-in-law Mehrun Nisa and sister-in-law Bushra Mazhar.
Dr Babar Awan, the petitioner’s counsel told the court that his client was a businessman and had been doing business in Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia since 1999.
He further said the petitioner married a Pakistani woman Iraj in December 2005 and was blessed with a baby girl named Rehma in October 2006.
In the following years, Ayoubi planned his return to Syria along with his family and with their consent prepared the travel documents, advocate Awan said and added, his in-laws however refused to send his wife and daughter with him to Syria and started creating hurdles for the petitioner and got registered some fake cases against him.
He added that petitioner’s in-laws snatched his daughter and tried to separate his wife from him. They, in connivance with the general manager of petitioner’s company – Amjad Iqbal Bhatti, allegedly committed a criminal breach of trust and detained him in Adiala Jail in a false case but the petitioner, somehow, managed to be free again.
Advocate Awan asserted that Ayoubi was desperately searching for his lost daughter and had also filed several applications with senior police officials including IG, SSP, and the SHO Kohsar police station for her recovery but to no avail.
He requested the court to direct the respondents to produce his missing daughter in the court and sought giving her custody to the petitioner.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday withdrew the suspension order of 26 police officials including a district police officer (DPO).
The suspension order was issued when brother of an alleged rape victim was killed outside a court at Takht-i-Nusrati in Karak in December last year.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth disposed of the case whose notice was taken suo moto by the chief justice after the victim’s brother, Alamzeb, was killed and several persons including some policemen had taken out procession against the judiciary in Karak in Dec last year.
The investigation officer in the rape case, SSP Attiqullah Wazir, submitted sealed reports of polygraph tests of the accused persons and the rape victim. The bench after going through the report observed that it was inconclusive and of no help in the case.
While recalling the suspension order of the police officials, the bench observed that provincial home secretary and provincial police officer could take any departmental action against the officials if they had violated any rule.
The bench also directed the provincial government to provide employment either to the rape victim or to her brother so that the family could get a source of earning livelihood. It was also ordered that the trial court conclude the case expeditiously.
The bench directed the police high-ups that security provided to the victim and her family should continue till conclusion of the trial. The bench also withdrew contempt of court charges against a police official Hakeem Khan, the rape accused also charged with instigating people against the local judiciary, with a warning to remain careful in future.
The chief justice directed the police high-ups to make efforts for arresting an absconding accused, Ibrahim Khan, brother of Hakim, charged with the killing of Alamzeb.
The high court had on Dec 13 issued a comprehensive order through which it had suspended the then DPO Karak, the circle DSP of Karak
and Takht-i- Nusrati and officials of Takht-i-Nusrati police station.
On the order of the high court the victim and her family was provided official living quarter in Peshawar.
Earlier, in March the DNA of around 12 suspects in the rape case did not match with that of a female infant given birth by the alleged victim.
The victim had told the court that during captivity of around a year she was sexually assaulted by several persons some of whom were not known to her but she could recognise them on appearance.
The girl was allegedly kidnapped when a police party raided her residence on July 30, 2010. She could not be recovered for over a year and finally she managed to escape from captivity on Sept 19 following which she charged around 12 persons including some policemen for kidnapping and raping her. Her brother, Alamzeb, was killed outside a court at Takht-i-Nusrati on Dec 9 allegedly by Ibrahim Khan, who has now been absconding.