The FIR that was not registered

Akhtar’s daughter was raped, but the suspects’ ‘influence’ was getting the better of police.

ISLAMABAD:

A woman moved a trial court on Tuesday for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against two men allegedly involved in the rape of her daughter.

Naila*, a resident of Rawalpindi who runs an NGO, filed an application under section 22-A through her counsel Sardar Muhammad Ashfaq. She wanted to register an FIR against Salim* and Farhan*. Salim allegedly helped Farhan rape her daughter at gunpoint.

The counsel for defence maintained that Farhan called her daughter through another girl, asking her to come over to his residence on the pretext of giving funds for her NGO. When she arrived there, Farhan raped her.

“Upon her resistance they threatened to kill her. Farhan claimed that he was a judge and if she disclosed anything she would be sent to jail with her family,” added the lawyer.

The petitioner contended that Salim, a resident of sector I-8/2, had earlier visited her office with Farhan, who introduced himself as a judge and assured her of financial assistance for her NGO.

The petitioner had moved the application before the Industrial Area police on March 3 to register an FIR against the two suspects. But the police started “delaying the matter”, saying that her application had been referred to the “high-ups”.

Ashfaq told the court that the police were still reluctant to lodge an FIR against the accused and the petitioner was helpless in front of the influence of the suspects. He requested the court to direct the concerned SHO to lodge an FIR against the two suspects.

Additional session judge Muhammad Akmal Khan directed the Industrial Area Police SHO to register an FIR against them and submit an inquiry report on May 19.

ASI Industrial Area Darya Khan told The Express Tribune that the matter was a sensitive one. The petitioner had failed to provide solid evidence against the suspects, which was the main reason for delay in the registration of the FIR, he added.

The petitioner’s lawyer contended that earlier Farhan had asked the petitioner to marry her daughter to his friend. They were subsequently married. “After some time, Farhan demanded her second daughter’s hand in marriage and posed as a bachelor, but in fact he was married and had three wives,” said Ashfaq, while presenting the case. *Names have been changed to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2011.