Day: August 9, 2012

MANSEHRA: It took about eight months for a rape victim to report her attacker, who threatened to kill her and her family members if she told anyone. The teenage victim is now pregnant and her attacker behind bars. The court has bound her to give birth to the illegitimate child, whose chances of survival are slim, police and hospital sources said on Wednesday.

Bisma* Bibi, 14, daughter of Muhammad Badar*, an industrial worker in Gujranwala, told the Darband Police that about eight and half months back, she was home alone when a neighbour, Fazal*, showed up at her house. He forcibly took her into a room and raped her. When she tried to put up resistance, the accused threatened to kill her and her family members. Bisma accused Afzal of raping her repeatedly for several days. She said her mother did not pay heed when she told her about the biological changes she was undergoing.

The police have registered a criminal case against Afzal and arrested him under section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He has been remanded for three days for investigation, police said.
The police took Bibi for medical examination to Ayub Medical Complex (AMC) Abbottabad, where doctors confirmed that she was eight months pregnant. However, the doctor said that since the mother was physically weak, delivery will be carried out through Caesarean section, which may result in complications.

Meanwhile, the duty magistrate of Mansehra sent the victim home, making her bound through an order to ensure the protection of her child. Furthermore, the court has asked her to deliver the baby on the advice of doctors, who said that the delivery is expected within the next seven to 10 days.

The Express Tribune

By: G Mursalin Marwat

LAKKI MARWAT – A teenager allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl in village Naverkhel the other day and escaped. Police said Wednesday that the accused Shaukat took the girl Saima to his Bhethak (guestroom) and raped her there. They said the wailing victim reached home and narrated the happening to her parents.

Later, the girl was taken to city hospital where she was hospitalised in critical condition, they said.

The inhuman incident in the holy month of Ramazan shocked the residents of entire district, besides causing a public outcry. They stressed upon police to show their competency and arrest the accused.
Police said that they were making efforts to catch the accused after registration of a case against him under second 376PPC in Lakki Marwat Police Station.

They added that the accused would soon be brought to the clutches of law as a noose had been tightened around him. Meanwhile, Regional Police Officer Bannu Nisar Ahmad Tanoli arrived here and met the victim girl, her father and other relatives in city hospital. DPO Lakki Marwat Umar Riaz also accompanied him on the occasion.

The RPO expressed his sorrow over the inhuman and heart rendering incident with the family.
He assured that police would leave no stone unturned to provide the family with justice and take the culprit involved in the barbaric incident to task. He said that the accused would face exemplary punishment, directing the district police to arrest him at all costs. He also directed the hospital’s administration to take care of the rape victim and provide her all sorts of medical and treatment facilities.

The Nation

ABBOTABAD: A woman was injured in an acid attack on Tuesday, purportedly the result of a property dispute.

Bibi Afza Rashid, a government school employee, was on her way back home when she was allegedly attacked by two men identified as Omar Noman Abbasi and Saleem Abbasi. The victim tried to escape but the attackers stabbed her and threw acid at her.

Afza suffered burns and a stab wound on her back. The victim was moved to a hospital where the doctors said she was out of danger. A first information report has been logged by the victim’s husband, Malik Rashid Minhas, who claims the attack was carried out to pressurise them to take back their claim over a property.

He added that his wife was attacked by Omar Noman’s elder brother Omar Shehzad a few months ago.

The Express Tribune

By: Owais Jafri

MULTAN: An elderly woman and her sister were disrobed and paraded naked at a bus terminal in Muzaffargarh after they “offended” a family by asking for their girl’s hand in marriage for the former’s son.

The incident took place in the Liaquatabad Adda in Khangarh sub-district, Muzaffargarh, on Wednesday when Sakeena Maayi had taken her son Shabeer’s marriage proposal to his love interest Aneela’s house in Nayi Abaadi Basti.

In return, she and her sister were held captive, beaten up and stripped.
The humiliation didn’t end there. According to the victims and eyewitnesses, they were tied to a motorbike while undressed and filmed throughout the incident by the culprits on their mobile phones.

The ‘punishment’

According to locals, Shabeer had been beaten up twice by Aneela’s brother when the couple tried to meet and the matter had to be resolved by locals each time. Finally, Aneela asked Shabeer to send his parents to ask for her hand in marriage.

According to Sakeena, 63, when she and her sister Shamim, 65, went over to Aneela’s house, the family held her captive in a room, before summoning five to six persons to beat and strip them.

“They said, ‘today we will teach you the lesson about the honour of an important tribe of the area. We are Aarayin, the most respectable caste of the world,’” she recounted.

Sakeena added that they were then tied to a motorbike and taken to the local bus terminal.

An eyewitness, Khizar, told The Express Tribune that the men kept filming the women while they were tied to the motorbike. Residents of the area tried to rescue the women, but were unable to owing to the family’s influential and feudal status.

The men eventually left the victims in the same condition and returned to their homes. Pakistan People’s Party leader Amir Karamat provided security to the victims and had them shifted to the police station to take legal action.

The police, on the other hand, was notably missing.

Police’s delayed action

Muhammad Iqbal, an eyewitness, told The Express Tribune that the police were the real criminals since they were reluctant to intervene.The police eventually arrived to resolve the situation after about three hours and raided the residence of Bilal Aarayin, Aneela’s father.

Although Bilal was not at home, two accused, namely Dr Abdul Ghafar Aarayin and his son Irfan Aarayin, were arrested, while the others are still at large.

An FIR was lodged under section 354 A, 148 and 149 on the application of Sakeena against six nominated persons, namely Dr Abdul Ghafar Aarayin, Irfan Aarayin, Irshad Aarayin, Iqbal Aarayin, Munir Hussain, Mureed Hussain and five unidentified persons.

On the other hand, while talking to The Express Tribune, Ghafar and Irfan tried to justify their actions, claiming the women were attempting to rob their house and they acted in self-defence.
They also denied the story of the marriage proposal. Residents of the area, however, confirmed that Shabeer and Aneela were a couple.

Protest observed

Following the incident, residents of the area blocked the National Highway by burning tyres in protest against the incident and the police’s failure in taking any action. Amjad Ali Amjad, a representative of the human rights commission of Muzaffargarh district, demanded that the culprits be prosecuted in an anti-terrorism court.

The Express Tribune

Karachi: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Coordination Committee has strongly condemned the kidnapping and gang rape of a young girl Raheela Sheikh in Daharki. The victim was criminally assaulted for three consecutive days.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the committee said the victim was being pressurised and threatened by the area SHO to retract the rape allegations. Describing the act as barbaric and inhuman, it appealed to Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan to take stern action against the perpetrators.

The Coordination Committee also condemned the abhorrent act of parading women naked in public in Muzaffargarh by the family of a girl when they visited her house with a marriage proposal.

Terming the incident barbaric, it said the parading of women in public without clothes was a shameful act.

They were tortured by the family members of the girl, their clothes were torn to pieces, and they were forced to parade in the streets. The shameful incident was also filmed on a mobile telephone.

The committee demanded of the governor and the chief minister of Punjab to take notice of this barbaric incident and take stern action against the perpetrators.

The News