Day: September 11, 2012

ISLAMABAD: A 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped after being tortured by her own father on September 5. A repeat of this episode took place on Friday.

However, it was on Sunday that the police found out about the incident. In a complaint with the Kohsar police, the victim, Sajida*, finally mustered up the courage and got a case registered against her father, Sameer*.

The city police have thus far been unable to arrest the retired soldier, who works as a private security guard. Sameer has six daughters from his wife, Sajida being the third. She was previously married, but moved back in with her parents a few years ago after getting divorced.

Police sources revealed that the first incident, which took place on September 5, occurred when Sajida was alone at home. “Sajida accused Sameer of tying her up with a rope and raping her,” said the source, who requested that his name be withheld. The police official explained that Sajida was home alone with her father because her mother works at nearby houses during the day, while her older sisters are married and the younger ones were at school.

The police official added that after the first incident, the girl fled to Abbottabad, the family’s hometown. However, her father managed to bring her back on September 6, and allegedly tortured her, chained her up and raped her again.

Later, on the complaint of a neighbour, the police raided Sameer’s flat and found Sajida, still in chains. They freed her and took her to the police station.

“Due to the immense pressure and social taboos, the poor girl was unwilling to talk about the incident with any friends, family or neighbours, but she eventually mustered up the courage to inform the police,” said another policeman familiar with the investigation.

Quoting Sajida’s statement, the policeman said that Sameer assaulted her on two separate occasions and threatened to kill her if she dared to tell anyone.

Investigation Officer Ghulam Murtaza confirmed the incident and was confident that the culprit would be in handcuffs soon. He said that the police are still awaiting the complete medical report, while adding that Sameer was on duty in the Diplomatic Enclave when the case was registered. “We came to know he was on duty in the Diplomatic Enclave, but by the time we got there to pick him up, he had fled,” Murtaza claimed.

The Express Tribune

By: Asad Farooq

KARACHI: The 3rd LADIESFUND Entrepreneurship Conference (LEC) 2012, featuring success stories of fabulous personalities, career and networking opportunities with a vast circle of over 600 VIPs, women entrepreneurs, male and female students, media, and a grand exhibition is going to be held on Saturday, September 15, 2012 at the Bahria Auditorium.

This was announced by the LADIESFUND chief and prominent women entrepreneurship activist, Tara Uzra Dawood in a press conference held at her office on Monday. She said that the exhibition would be the first ever ‘Student Entrepreneurship Exhibition’ in the history of Pakistan. It would include the work of deaf student entrepreneurs from the JS Academy, besides young female students who intend to become an entrepreneur.

Talking about the exhibition, Dawood said that the theme of the conference this year would be ‘Jidat Ka Safar’. Panelists for the conference would be Frieha Altaf (Catwalk), Amin Gulgee, Azmay and Samia Shahzada (Shoes), Madiha Sultan Tai & Lal Majid (Lal’s), Dr Saadia Virk Rizvi (South City Hospital), Moonis Rahman (rozee.pk) and Rabia Gareeb (CIO Pakistan).

To a question, she said that their series of conferences had been benefiting a number of people. Because of these conference, several people get employment, extend their businesses, get investments and technical support to become an entrepreneur after being inspired by the success stories of trailblazer and courageous women, who proved themselves through prolonged and steadfast struggle.

She further said that though entrepreneurship was not an easy task and required a lot of struggle and hard work, it was a gateway to women empowerment. She further said that entrepreneurship not only empowers women, but also strengthens the families, society, state and the world.Shedding light on the journey of LADIESFUND, she said that the fund was formally established in 2008 as a corporate service responsibility of the Dawood Global Foundation. Dawood said, “Now we have approximately 12,000 women and youth in our network and our motto is Inspire-Connect-Educate.

We currently have 120 local and international partners working with us and our main goal for 2013 is to hold the LADIESFUND Global Summit as we have been asked by Women’s Forum in France to help shape a similar model for Morocco. Under the fund, women’s awards, entrepreneurship conferences, women of influence luncheons, magazine, internships, scholarships, fellowships and nominations are made to other sponsoring organisations.

First Women Bank Limited President Shafqat Sultana, LADIESFUND Partner Shamain Faruque, LADIESFUND® Brand Ambassadors Pomme Gohar (Phenomena) and Zeenat Saeed Ahmed (Taneez), Begum Salma Ahmed, 2012 Spa Partner Rain Tree’s founder Lubna Lakhani and two student advisory council members Fatima Ahmed and Maheen Khan were also present in the conference.

Speaking on the occasion, they shared their views and experiences with media and in their message to female entrepreneurs and those interested in this regard they advised not to loose courage and enthusiasm incase of failure in the initial stages as mistakes were the best way to learn to be successful.It is pertinent to mention here that the tickets to LEC 2012 are available from DGF offices 111-DAWOOD (111-329663) and all LADIESFUND Brand Ambassadors in more than ten universities across Pakistan.

Daily Times

By: Munawer Azeem

ISLAMABAD: The Christian girl accused of committing blasphemy, according to officials, has been shifted to an undisclosed place from the Police Lines Headquarters (PLH) in Islamabad where she had been staying since her release from the Adiyala Jail on Saturday.

Tight security arrangements were made to take the girl to some other city from the women’s barracks at the PLH where she had been kept along with her family, the officials said.

A police official said on Monday that after leaving the PLH the girl’s family met a government representative who later went to the airport, fuelling speculations that the family might also have left with him for a foreign country.

But adviser to Prime Minister on National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti said that the girl and her family had not left the country.

Mr Bhatti said the girl and her family had moved to the safe place selected by the authorities.

A police officer said two statements of the girl had been recorded – the first at the police station soon after she was taken into custody and the second in Adiyala Jail during her judicial remand. In the first statement, he said, she had admitted to having burnt some pages but in the second she denied having done so.

He said the investigation team would record another statement of the girl as some questions were still unanswered, like from where she had got the polythene bag stuffed with pages of Noorani Qaeda and a primer on prayers and why the complainant Amad Malik was sitting near the drain outside her house just before Iftar when the girl reportedly took the bag to a garbage dump.

Dawn