The first case under the Anti-Rape Act in Punjab has been registered at the Muzaffargarh city police, where a woman initially filed a case against an accused for rape but later retracted her statement in court.

According to police, Aqsa Ishtiaq testified in favour of the rape suspect in the court of additional district and sessions judge and declared him innocent. Subsequently, a case was registered against her under the provisions of the Anti-Rape Act of 2021.

Earlier, she had also recorded statements against the suspect before the medical officer and the area magistrate in connection with the rape case.

According to the first information report, the woman lodged a rape complaint against the suspect at the civil lines police. The suspect obtained pre-arrest bail from the court, while the case landed before a local magistrate where Aqsa recorded a statement against the suspect.

Later, she underwent a medical examination at the district headquarters hospital. On the day of the pre-arrest bail hearing, the police presented solid evidence against the suspect. However, the complainant retracted her statement and testified in favour of the suspect in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Khalil, who confirmed the bail. Following this, the police registered a case against Aqsa for providing false information and registered a case against her under section 22(2A-B) of the Anti-Rape Act of 2021 and Section 213 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Source: Dawn