A woman from Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was allegedly sexually assaulted while harvesting wheat in Mianwali, Punjab.
According to the report, Zareen Bibi’s husband reported to the Mianwali police that he and his family had moved to Mianwali from Lakki Marwat for work and were currently harvesting wheat in the Kamar Mashani area of Mianwali. While Zareen Bibi was working in a local field, a man named Shahzad Khan, a resident of Kamar Mashani, allegedly sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.
The Mianwali police took action and arrested Shahzad Khan. However, it was later learned that he had obtained interim bail from the court.
Local sources claim that Shahzad Khan has allegedly sexually assaulted four other women before and openly threatens people with weapons.
Tahira Kaleem, a social activist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, commented on the case, stating that if Shahzad Khan had not been granted bail in his previous rape cases, the honor of Zareen Bibi and the other three women may have been saved.
She emphasized that despite the Anti-Rape Law and the Anti-Rape Investigation and Trial Ordinance, such accused individuals are still able to roam freely, showing no regard for the law.
Tahira Kaleem also pointed out that women will continue to work and pursue jobs outside the home, and thus it is important for families to teach women about safety measures. Restricting women from leaving their homes is not a solution to the problem. Additionally, it may not be feasible for working women like Zareen Bibi to carry arms and protect themselves.
Tahira Kaleem and others demand that individuals accused of sexually assaulting women be brought to justice. They also urge society to keep an eye on such individuals and for the government to take measures to prevent such incidents.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) report for 2022, there has been a rise in rape cases of women in Pakistan, with over 2,000 women being subjected to forced sexual abuse across the country during that year with most of the victims being from Punjab.
Source: TNN