Cop to face music for molesting women

The victims approached court for justice

MULTAN: A police official has been suspended for molesting a woman and her daughter in Sahiwal on Wednesday.

According to police, ASI Khadim Hussain was on duty when he stopped a woman and her daughter to search their belongings. While pretending to search them, he tried to touch their private body parts. When the women resisted, he misbehaved with them.



In the meantime, a passer-by Najeeb Ahmed, who witnessed the situation, confronted the police official over his immoral act. However, ASI Khadim threatened Najeeb of dire consequences and said he would implicate him in a fake case.

After the incident, the victims approached the district court and narrated their ordeal. They told the court that despite presence of lady police officers, the ASI searched them which clearly showed his cruel intentions. They requested the judge to take action against the said policeman.

After admitting the plea, the court ordered DPO Atif Ikram to submit the report of the incident.

While taking action on court orders, the DPO demanded report from the DSP and issued instructions to conduct an inquiry into the incident.



Earlier in 2016, a man was arrested by Federal Investigation Agency from Sahiwal for allegedly harassing a woman on popular social networking website. An FIR was lodged under the recently passed Prevention of Electronic Crime Act against the alleged harasser identified as Usman.

Women still regularly report being harassed and even physically assaulted by men. In the face of unwanted advances, Pakistan’s women continue to find themselves alone, unsure of where to take their complaints and how to protect themselves.

Even in the development sector, where the very agenda of many organisations is to empower women, similar problems persist.

The man in question, however, remains untouched, undoubtedly displaying similarly harassing behaviour to new prey. Laws alone cannot change society; the sexual harassment of women continues because it is considered permissible, something women ‘ask’ for when they leave their homes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2016.