Shamsul Islam Naz
FAISALABAD, October 13: The Sattu Katla Police Station of Lahore registered on Wednesday October 12 a case against suspended SP Abdullah Khalid, Inspector Jamshed Iqbal Chishti and 10 other accused in the Sonia Naz case on charges of committing gang-rape on a woman, abducting her, keeping her in wrongful confinement and dishonouring her and of abusing their authority.
The case was registered on the orders of the full bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, headed by the Chief Justice.
Sonia Naz had moved a written application on September 2, seeking registration of a case against the SP, the inspector and the other accused at the Sattu Katla Police in Lahore.
However, police did not register the case. In the meantime, the Inspector General Police, Punjab, constituted a fact-finding team headed by Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, DIG Investigation Branch, Lahore, and including Saeed Akhtar Bharwana and S.P. Investigation Branch, Punjab, Lahore, as members. The inquiry team in its report submitted in the first week of October said there were sufficient grounds for registration of an FIR and subsequent investigation. Yet no case was registered.
The apex court, which had taken up notice of the case on Aug 31 again took up the case on Monday and ordered registration of the case on the basis of the findings of the police inquiry team.
The case has been registered vide FIR No. 650 under sections 10, 11, 16, 18, 7/79 of the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance 1979, 344, 354, 355, 506 of PPC and 155-C of the Police Order 2002.
In the FIR, Sonia Naz says that she left her home in Johar Town, Lahore, on May 3 for some work when all of a sudden a car pulled up from behind and four people holding pistols threatened her with dire consequences grabbed and blindfolded her and took her wary in the car. After about three to four hours, the vehicle stopped at a garage where she was slapped and her blindfold was removed. About 10 people were there. She was kept in a room which had no windows. One day a man brought a cellphone and wanted her to talk to SP Investigation Abdullah Khalid.
She said she had met Abdullah Khalid when he was investigating the case of her husband Asim Yousaf. She requested him to forgive her family, but he told her that he would teach her a lesson. The next morning, she alleged, Abdullah Khalid came there and beat her up with shoes, abusing her for filing writ petitions in the High Court and applications in other forums against him. She claimed that she was dishonoured and the SP urinated on her face. Another person grabbed and pulled her hair. At this time, according to her, the SP called Jamshed Chishti who entered the room naked and raped her. She was kept in confinement for 10 to 12 days. Then she was blindfolded, put in a vehicle and left near Thokar Niaz Beg. She said that the vehicle used by the accused belonged to a courier company. The accused warned her that if she raised the issue at any forum they would kill her.
Sonia Naz also alleged in the complaint that the motive behind her gang-rape, humiliation and torture was to punish her for filing writ petitions in the Lahore High Court against the harassment of her family by police due to alleged involvement of her husband in a fraud case.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/13/2005
