Tortured child maid to sit an exam
Girl, other witnesses record statements before IHC
Girl, other witnesses record statements before IHC. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The juvenile housemaid, who had to be rescued after being tortured at the home of a judge earlier this year, has had a change of fortunes and is now expected to sit for an academic examination on May 24 (today) - seemingly for the first time.
Having worked as a housemaid till a few months ago, 10-year-old T* now goes to school every morning and has learnt how to spell her name in English among a host of other things.
At this Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked, “she is competent to understand everything."
Police validate child maid torture
While her life is on the path to transformation, she has not yet forgotten what happened to her. On Tuesday, she once again recorded her statement before the Islamabad High Court against the judge and his wife at whose house she suffered injuries.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar had been indicted after the girl had accused them of keeping her in wrongful confinement, burning her hand over a missing broom, beating her with a ladle, detaining her in the storeroom and threatening her of even worse.
In her statement on Tuesday, the 10-year-old told the court that it was Maheen who had allegedly burnt her hand, her back and struck her with a ladle resulting in injuries to her hand, eye and back. All this happened, she said, while she was working in “Maheen Baji’s house” a few months ago.
The victim said she lived with uncle (the judge), Maheen Baji and their three daughters in their house located in Sector I-8.
When Islamabad Advocate General Mian Abdul Rauf asked the girl how she had suffered the burn marks on her hand, the girl said that the judge’s wife had allegedly lit the stove and pushed her hand onto it burning the hand. Subsequently, she said, she went into a room upstairs and then “they hid me”.
The minor said she met a neighbouring girl who provided her with a meal and a comforter on her last day at judge’s residence. Additionally, the maid said “Bhai” (apparently referring to the judge), took her to his mother’s house and a “police uncle” took her back from there.
Responding to a question, the girl said that she told the police first about her injuries and narrated her ordeal to Assistant Commissioner Nisha Ishtiaq, adding that first the police took her for medical treatment and then ‘Nisha Baji’ and another lady provided her with medical treatment.
The neighbouring girl, her mother and another woman also recorded their statements before the court as witnesses in the case on Tuesday.
All three witnesses testified before the court that they saw the child in an injured condition, provided her with medical aid, food, tea and comforter.
Child maid sexually assaulted, suspect arrested
The neighbouring girl M* told the court that she first saw the minor from her terrace on December 26 while continuously watching her and her mother N* from the terrace of the judge’s house.
When asked where the others were at the time, the girl said that the child and others had gone to attend a wedding. In the evening, she said, when asked why she was sitting on the terrace, the child replied that the house was locked and she could only use stairs to come down to the gate.
“She was shivering,” the girl described the minor’s condition, adding that later she and her mother asked the girl to come to their house where they provided her with food, and tried to make contact with the judge through the land line and mobile phone but in vain.
On December 28, the M*said she saw T* again in an injured condition. When asked, T* told M* that she had been beaten.
While reiterating M*s statement, her mother N* said that she could identify the judge since she had handed over the child maid to him when they returned from the wedding.
H*, the third witness, said that the neighbours had informed her about the “ordeal” of the child maid, adding that she took the child’s photos from her mobile phone which was still with the police as evidence since January 9.
When shown her the photographs, H* confirmed to the court that they were the same which she had taken from her phone.
After recording the statements, the court directed the defence’s counsel to cross-examine the witnesses on May 24 (today). The prosecution can then would produce additional witnesses in the case.
Meanwhile, a division bench led by Justice Aamer Farooq reserved its verdict on a review petition filed by the judge (who is on special duty - OSD) and his wife challenging framing of charges against them by a single bench of the IHC.
*NAMES WITHHELD TO PROTECT IDENTITIES
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2017.
The juvenile housemaid, who had to be rescued after being tortured at the home of a judge earlier this year, has had a change of fortunes and is now expected to sit for an academic examination on May 24 (today) - seemingly for the first time.
Having worked as a housemaid till a few months ago, 10-year-old T* now goes to school every morning and has learnt how to spell her name in English among a host of other things.
At this Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked, “she is competent to understand everything."
Police validate child maid torture
While her life is on the path to transformation, she has not yet forgotten what happened to her. On Tuesday, she once again recorded her statement before the Islamabad High Court against the judge and his wife at whose house she suffered injuries.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar had been indicted after the girl had accused them of keeping her in wrongful confinement, burning her hand over a missing broom, beating her with a ladle, detaining her in the storeroom and threatening her of even worse.
In her statement on Tuesday, the 10-year-old told the court that it was Maheen who had allegedly burnt her hand, her back and struck her with a ladle resulting in injuries to her hand, eye and back. All this happened, she said, while she was working in “Maheen Baji’s house” a few months ago.
The victim said she lived with uncle (the judge), Maheen Baji and their three daughters in their house located in Sector I-8.
When Islamabad Advocate General Mian Abdul Rauf asked the girl how she had suffered the burn marks on her hand, the girl said that the judge’s wife had allegedly lit the stove and pushed her hand onto it burning the hand. Subsequently, she said, she went into a room upstairs and then “they hid me”.
The minor said she met a neighbouring girl who provided her with a meal and a comforter on her last day at judge’s residence. Additionally, the maid said “Bhai” (apparently referring to the judge), took her to his mother’s house and a “police uncle” took her back from there.
Responding to a question, the girl said that she told the police first about her injuries and narrated her ordeal to Assistant Commissioner Nisha Ishtiaq, adding that first the police took her for medical treatment and then ‘Nisha Baji’ and another lady provided her with medical treatment.
The neighbouring girl, her mother and another woman also recorded their statements before the court as witnesses in the case on Tuesday.
All three witnesses testified before the court that they saw the child in an injured condition, provided her with medical aid, food, tea and comforter.
Child maid sexually assaulted, suspect arrested
The neighbouring girl M* told the court that she first saw the minor from her terrace on December 26 while continuously watching her and her mother N* from the terrace of the judge’s house.
When asked where the others were at the time, the girl said that the child and others had gone to attend a wedding. In the evening, she said, when asked why she was sitting on the terrace, the child replied that the house was locked and she could only use stairs to come down to the gate.
“She was shivering,” the girl described the minor’s condition, adding that later she and her mother asked the girl to come to their house where they provided her with food, and tried to make contact with the judge through the land line and mobile phone but in vain.
On December 28, the M*said she saw T* again in an injured condition. When asked, T* told M* that she had been beaten.
While reiterating M*s statement, her mother N* said that she could identify the judge since she had handed over the child maid to him when they returned from the wedding.
H*, the third witness, said that the neighbours had informed her about the “ordeal” of the child maid, adding that she took the child’s photos from her mobile phone which was still with the police as evidence since January 9.
When shown her the photographs, H* confirmed to the court that they were the same which she had taken from her phone.
After recording the statements, the court directed the defence’s counsel to cross-examine the witnesses on May 24 (today). The prosecution can then would produce additional witnesses in the case.
Meanwhile, a division bench led by Justice Aamer Farooq reserved its verdict on a review petition filed by the judge (who is on special duty - OSD) and his wife challenging framing of charges against them by a single bench of the IHC.
*NAMES WITHHELD TO PROTECT IDENTITIES
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2017.