Kohistan video scandal – Pakistan Gender News

April 3, 2014

Kohistan video scandal: Police fail to produce ‘missing’ girls once again

KOHISTAN: Police blame the division of Kohistan for once again failing to bring forward five women related to a notorious cell phone video, along with their parents, as ordered by the district court in February.

The women, who disappeared in 2012, are suspected to be dead, despite their parents insisting otherwise. However, they have proved unwilling to bring them before the court as proof that they are alive, claiming their tribal customs prohibit them from doing so.

While representing the police, DSP Headquarter Shahnaz Khan, told the court that since the families lived in lower Kohistan, the new administrative setup prevented them from producing the girls in court.

Four women of the Azadkhel tribe – Bazigha, Begum Jan, Sereen Jan and Amina – were filmed singing and clapping while two boys belonging to the Salekhel tribe were dancing during a wedding ceremony in 2012. When the video was leaked to the Azadkhel tribe, a jirga comprising 12 elders condemned the four women along with a minor girl, Shaheen, for arranging the gathering. It also condemned the two boys and their families to death.

Later, it was reported that the four women in the video, along with the girl, were killed on May 30, 2012 in accordance with the jirga’s decree.

The three elder brothers of the boys filmed were gunned down earlier. Five men were sentenced to life imprisonment for these murders while one Azadkhel tribeman was sentenced to death.

The Supreme Court took suo motu notice and sent a fact-finding mission to the area on June 4, 2012 that concluded that the women were alive. However, the case was re-opened after a petition was filed with the district judge Kohistan in February, by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Islamabad, accusing the parents of providing false information about their daughters.

This is not the first time police have failed to satisfy the court.

On March 18, Kohistan police produced a written statement of the parents of all the five girls, which claimed that the girls were alive in the remote village of Achar.

The court did not change the previous order however and asked police to bring forward the missing girls, or their bodies, along with their parents.

On Wednesday, the court issued a notice for April 23, asking Lower Kohistan’s District Police Officer to follow the same court order.

While the police’s counsel argued that the bifurcation of Lower Kohistan was the reason for the absence of the individuals listed in the court order, a divisional bench of Peshawar High Court had stayed the division of Lower Kohistanin response to a writ petition filed by a committee of over 80 tribal elders. The high court also served show-cause notices to the District Police Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Lower Kohistan for continuing their official work despite the stay order.

Express Tribune

March 19, 2014March 19, 2014

Kohistan video scandal: Condemned girls still alive, say parents

By: Muhammad Sadaqat

KOHISTAN: The parents of five women presumed dead following their appearance in the 2012 Kohistan video scandal have insisted that their children are still alive. However, they are unwilling to bring them before the court as their tribal customs prohibit them from doing so.

Four women of the Azadkhel tribe were filmed singing and clapping while two boys belonging to the Salekhel tribe were dancing during a wedding ceremony in 2012. When the video was leaked to the Azadkhel tribe, a jirga comprising 12 elders condemned the four women and another minor girl for arranging the mixed gathering. It also condemned the two boys in the video to death.

Later, it was reported that the four women in the video, along with the minor girl, were killed on May 30, 2012 in accordance with jirga decree.

After this development, the Supreme Court took suo motu notice and sent a fact-finding mission to the area on June 4, 2012 that concluded that the women were alive. However, the case was re-opened after a petition was filed by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Islamabad.

On February 11 this year, District and Sessions Judge Sardar Muhammad Irshad had asked the District Police Officer (DPO) to produce the five girls in court on February 26, and if they have been murdered, their dead bodies should be exhumed and brought before court. The case was adjourned till Tuesday and when the hearing began, the Kohistan police produced a written statement of the parents of all the five girls stating that the girls were alive and are in the remote village of Achar.

NCSW’s counsel Mazhar Akram Awan, referring to the Supreme Court’s fact-finding mission, accused the parents of producing three girls before the mission other than those reportedly murdered. A Kohistani and human rights activist Dr Farzana Bari, one of the three members of the commission, had earlier claimed that the jirga presented similar-looking girls to convince the authorities that no deaths had taken place. Awan termed the report mala fide, contending that the girls had been murdered in the name of honour.

Meanwhile, Afzal Kohistani, the brother of the two boys filmed with the girls, contested the claim of the girls’ parents and accused them of wasting the precious time of the court as they had already murdered them. “Yes, they are telling the truth about the girls being in Achar village but they are concealing the fact that they are lying dead in their graves,” he alleged, adding that Achar is the same village where they were mercilessly killed and buried. He also accused the police of involvement in the murder of the three brothers in January last year, two of whom appeared in the film.

After the arguments were presented, the court ordered the police to implement the previous order of producing the girls if they are alive or their bodies exhumed if murdered.

Express Tribune

February 13, 2014February 13, 2014

Kohistan court orders women’s production in video case

MANSEHRA: A local court has ordered police to produce five Kohistani women in the mobile phone video case.

The orders are issued as the National Commission on the Status of Women moves the court against the alleged killing of the said women, who were seen singing with men in the video.

The women were ‘sentenced to death’ by a jirga in early 2012.

District Police Officer, Kohistan Ali Akbar Khan told reporters on Wednesday here that the local district and sessions judge had asked him to produce the five women on Feb 26.

He said he had ordered the superintendent of police to go to the women’s village to comply with the court orders.

The DPO, however, said police were unable to reach the village due to blockade of roads by heavy snowfall.

“Once the access to the village is restored, a police team will go there for compliance with the court orders,” he said. Mr Ali said it would be premature to say if women in question were killed.

He said police would try their level best to produce women before the court on the next hearing.

The same court had awarded death sentence to a man and life imprisonment and fine of Rs0.2 million each to five others over the killing of three brothers, who were also seen in the video.

The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of the case after the women’s alleged killing was reported, and formed a panel to find facts.

However, the case was disposed of after the panel found the women to be alive during a visit to their village.

FC MEN’S BRAVERY HAILED: Frontier Constabulary Deputy Commandant Nisar Ahmad Tanoli on Wednesday praised the FC soldiers for fighting terrorists courageously.

During a darbar at FC Headquarters in Oghi, Mr Tanoli said FC personnel had showed great courage and bravery in the fight against the country’s enemies, including terrorists.

“Until such a brave and disciplined force is there, nobody can dare harm our national integrity,” he said.

The FC deputy commandant said the FC was formed for tribal areas but it was engaged in other parts of the country to fight terrorism over successful missions.

He said FC personnel had rendered great sacrifices against terrorism and would continue doing so.

Mr Tanoli said he would inform the relevant authorities about the personnel’s problem for effective solution.

He said the FC personnel would soon get the same benefits given to personnel of other security forces and police.

On the occasion, FC District Officer, Oghi Ghulam Murtaza Tabbasum said he was proud of the FC personnel, who had rendered great sacrifices for the country.

“Our every soldier is ready to sacrifice his life for motherland,” he said.

DAWN

February 12, 2014

Police yet to launch inquiry into Kohistan video scandal

KOHISTAN: Despite the corroboration of the murder of five women over a video showing them clapping and singing at a wedding in Kohistan last year, the local police have yet to initiate an inquiry into the case. According to police sources, no one is willing to get their statements recorded.

Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) MPA and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Kohistan chapter general secretary Maulana Dildar Khan told the media last week that five women from the Azadkhel tribe of Palas were murdered on May 30, 2012. A local jirga had earlier condemned the women and two boys of Salehkhel tribe to death over a video showing them clapping and singing at a local wedding in March. The two boys had allegedly recorded the video with their cell phones.

Dildar accused his party’s sitting MPA, Maulana Asmatullah, of hushing up the case because he hails from the same tribe. Asmatullah was also accused of misleading the inquiry commission sent by former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Dildar’s belated disclosure was acknowledged in a jirga held by 27 tribes at a rest house in Pattan, arranged by Pattan Qaumi Tehrik a couple of days ago. Tribal elders from Morjankhel, Begokhel, Boyonkhel, Shamalkhel, Senakhel, Sadmirkhel and others have also endorsed Dildar’s statement.

The jirga demanded the unseating of Maulana Asmatullah, who they claimed has violated the constitutional provisions of Articles 62 and 63 by deliberately cheating the inquiry commission and the Supreme Court (SC). They also demanded a renewed inquiry into the ‘honour killing’ incident and the reopening of the case by the apex court.

However, according to a police source, Kohistan DPO Ali Akbar Khan has already ordered an inquiry with Palas DSP Nazir Khan as the inquiry officer. When approached for comments, Nazir confirmed that although the matter was disposed by the SC last year, the police have reopened investigation, especially following the recent disclosures by Dildar.

“However, despite repeated invitations, neither Maulana Dildar nor the other jirga members are ready to record their statement due to unknown reasons,” shared Nazir. The DSP added that unless they get involved and file a complaint regarding the murders, the police could not initiate legal proceedings against the Azadkhel as the police lack evidence.

Brother of the two deceased boys – Gul Nazir and Bin Yasir – Afzal Kohistani has also demanded the reopening of the case by the SC.

Express Tribune

February 11, 2014February 11, 2014

Grand Jirga also confirms murder of five girls

After former member provincial assembly, Maulana Dildar, a grand Jirga on Monday also confirmed the killing of five girls of the Kohistan video scandal. A grand Jirga comprising 52 persons hailing from 27 clans was held in Pattan area of Lower Kohistan. The brothers of male characters of the video scandal, Afzal Kohistani and elders of various tribes also participated in the jirga.

The grand Jirga said that the five girls had been killed. They held sitting MPA from Kohistan Maulana Asmatullah responsible for misguiding the judicial commission. The Jirga also confirmed that alternative girls were presented before the judicial commission. They demanded to disqualify MPA Maulana Asmatullah for lying about the girls. It is worth mentioning that former MPA belonging to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Dildar had confirmed on Saturday that all the five girls in the video hailing from Azadkhel tribe were killed and three brothers Shah Faisal, Safiuddin and Sher Wali were also shot dead in revenge.

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