Kidnappers storm Hindu family’s house, snatch girl

SUKKUR: A gang of armed men barged into a Hindu family’s house in Jarwar locality in Tangwani town late on Tuesday night and kidnapped a teenage girl at gunpoint.

Police arrived in the locality after being informed of the incident, collected information from Takhat Odh’s family and lodged a report against as yet unknown suspects for kidnapping Takhat’s daughter Kaweeta.

Later, police raided houses of Behalkani community in the locality over suspicions they might have kidnapped the girl but neither the girl nor the kidnappers were found there and police had to return empty handed.

The girl’s family told local reporters that they were poor and had no enmity with anyone. They demanded police authorities immediately recover their loved one and arrest the kidnappers.

Newspaper: Dawn

Four suspects to be indicted in Dr Maha death case on 21st

KARACHI: A district court has set March 21 for the indictment of four suspects booked in a case pertaining to the death of Dr Maha Ali Shah.

Initially the police said the young lady doctor practising at a private hospital in Clifton had allegedly committed suicide by shooting herself at home in Defence Housing Authority on Aug 18, 2020.

But later, the police booked eight people — including her friends Junaid Khan, Waqas Hasan, Bilal, Yasin, Saad, Munir, Nasir — under relevant sections of the law pertaining to poisoning the victim to death.

The matter recently came up before district and sessions judge (South) Munawar Ali Lodhi, who directed the prosecution to provide copies of the documentary evidence to the suspects as required under Section 265-C of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The investigating officer gave copies of the documents to the suspects.

The judge set the matter for March 21 for the indictment of the suspects, who were told to ensure their presence before the court on the next date. Earlier, four suspects — Junaid Khan, Syed Waqas, Tabish Yaseen Qureshi and Saad Nasir Siddiqui — appeared before the court on bail.

According to the victim’s family, the suspects had allegedly subjected Dr Maha to mental and physical torture, exploited her and lured her into using drugs which later led to her death.

They said Dr Maha had told them that she was being threatened with dire consequen­ces by the suspects if she did not act according to their wishes. This pressure led her to end her life, they added.

In September, Khan and Hasan had escaped from the City Courts after their interim bails were recalled following the submission of the charge sheet by the police which implicated the suspects in the crime.

Newspaper: Dawn

Maleeka Bokhari selected as World Economic Forum Young Global Leader

Islamabad-Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice Barrister Maleeka Bokhari has been selected as World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for five years.

The Young Global Leaders of Word Economic Forum is a dynamic community of more than 1,400 members from 120 nationalities, a Ministry of Law and Justice press release said on Wednesday.  The main aim of the leadership is to drive positive change in the world through vision, courage and influence. For 15 years young leaders have served their communities, launched groundbreaking initiatives, expanded access to resources, and shook up traditional ways of doing business.

Maleeka Bokhari is a Barrister, and a member of the parliament from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (ruling party).

She is currently serving as parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Law and Justice and responsible for the legislative business in the parliament.  She is at the forefront of the government’s law reform agenda and part of the legal team drafting the action plan for the women in the justice system. In addition, she is currently drafting various pieces of legislation with Federal Minister for Law and Justice Dr Barrister Farogh Naseem.

Maleeka is a barrister with over 10 years of professional legal experience in the United Kingdom and Pakistan. She obtained her LLB Hons in 2007, and was awarded the Helena Kennedy QC Scholarship award for her academic achievements. She completed the Bar Vocational Course and was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a Queen Mother Scholar thereafter. The Queen Mother Scholarship is awarded to by Middle Temple Inns of Court in UK to 20 students each year in recognition of their outstanding academic/professional achievements.  She is currently admitted as an advocate of the high court. She has undertaken work in all major facets of civil legal practice. Her professional legal experience includes representing multinational corporations, financial institutions, non-profit organisations, local companies and government entities and has provided legal advice on complex commercial contracts, joint ventures, and labour laws.

Maleeka is passionate about law reform and gender equality. She moved from the UK to use her professional experience to contribute to development of Pakistan. She is the only representative from Pakistan, chosen as a Young Global Leader in the year 2021.

Newspaper: The Nation

Woman ends life over ‘domestic violence’

FAISALABAD – A woman committed suicide over domestic dispute in the limits of Chak Jhumra police station.

Police said on Wednesday that 22-years-old Nadia w/o Waris Ali, resident of Jhumra Road swallowed poisonous pills after quarreling with her in-laws. She was shifted to the hospital in precarious condition where she expired. Police were investigating.

Newspaper: The Nation