Minor girl ‘raped on panchayat’s order’ in Bahawalpur

Accused Safdar, Akhtar and Bilal are on the run

BAHAWALPUR: In a bid to take revenge, three people raped a 10-year-old girl on the orders of panchayat in Bahawalpur on Thursday.

A police official told The Express Tribune, a gypsy family was residing within Derawar police station limits. He added family head Safdar’s 11-year-old daughter Parveen went to a nearby hut for some work where Azam’s son Amjad sexually abused her. “After the incident, Safdar called a panchayat to decide the case,” the official said.



He maintained, “The members of panchayat announced that Azam’s daughter Maryam should be raped in the same way to take revenge.”

He said Azam sent Maryam to the complainant’s place where Safdar and his two brothers Akhtar and Bilal sexually assaulted the girl. However, after the ordeal, Maryam’s condition deteriorated and she was immediately shifted to the hospital.

The police official pointed out the accused fled the scene after committing the heinous act. Meanwhile, the police had recorded the statement of the victim and registered a case against the accused under Section 376/109 of Pakistan Penal Code. The police had constituted a team to arrest the culprits.

Earlier, a minor was assaulted by a youngster in Millat Town area. Police said an 11-year-old girl was alone at her house in Fatehabad when one Faqeer Muhammad arrived there and raped her.

Similarly in March, a 13-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and raped by two unidentified men in a car in Lahore’s Punjab Housing Society. Police said Rabiya, 13, a house maid was going to a market in P-Block of the Punjab Housing Society when two unidentified men intercepted her and raped her.



A Gender Parity Report for the province released earlier in 2016 suggests that there has been a 20 per cent increase in cases of violence against women reported every year from 2012 to 2015.

The report compiled jointly by the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women and the Urban Unit is set to be launched on Monday (today). The event will also feature the launch of a cyber-based Gender Management Information System that will provide data on 300 indicators affecting the status of women in society.

The report states 5, 391 cases of violence against women had been reported in the province in 2012. The number of cases reported in 2015 were 6, 505. It says that in 2015, 173 women were killed in honour-based crimes.

The number of reported cases of violence against women was relatively higher in districts with 50 per cent or lower literacy rate. Rahimyar Khan, Sargodha, Multan and Vehari were among these districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2016.