Pakistan

Late justice: Raped girl eats poison after police ‘delay’ incrimination

She was allegedly raped by two influential men in Mianwali.

Umer Nangiana May 28, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

Struggling for life, a 17-year-old girl landed in hospital after consuming a large quantity of potassium permanganate in an attempt to kill herself.

The eighth grader is the only sister of three brothers and belongs to Doaba village in Piplan, Mianwali. She was alleged raped by two men of an influential clan some two months back.

Her family said she was under “great stress” and believe the delay in justice led her to take the extreme step. Also, she probably felt guilty for putting her family in trouble, a family member said.

Piplan police has arrested the two suspects nominated in the case. One of them is 35 years old while the other is 30. A police official said they were keeping the two men in the police station and waiting for the DNA report. Once they have the report, they will decide whether to file for a remand.

The girl’s family alleged that the “influential” family of the “rapists” was threatening the girl’s father and brothers to settle for reconciliation.

On Monday, the girl was rushed District Headquarters Hosital, Piplan where doctors managed to save her life. She was shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for further treatment, where she is said to be recovering.

Haji Muhammad Tariq, a witness in the case, told The Express Tribune that she was kidnapped by Farid*, his cousin Hameed* and their servant Musaab*, from a road, while she was going to attend a marriage ceremony.

“She was taken to Farid’s place where he and his servant Musaab raped her while Hameed stood guard outside,” Tariq said, adding, “She was coming to attend the marriage ceremony of one of my cousins.”

Later, on finding out that she had been kidnapped, the girl’s father and Tariq, along with other family members, went to Farid’s place, who refused to come out. Late in the evening, the suspects “had dropped the girl off at a place close to her home”. Her poor family decided to take legal action against Farid.

‘The Station House Officer of the Piplan Police Station refused to register an FIR on our application. He [told us to] draft a new application as directed by the police and only then registered the case against two of the suspects Farid and Musaab,”
said Tariq.

Later, the girl was produced before a magistrate for statement who ordered a medical check-up. Both the initial medical check-up and the chemical tests confirmed that the girl was raped. However, the Piplan police insisted on carrying out a DNA test.

Piplan police version

A Piplan police official, investigating the case, said the girl was friends with Musaab and went to Farid’s place of her own will.

“Rafiq had taken her to Rasheed’s place on his motorbike. And she was picked up from the marriage ceremony not the road,” said the investigation officer, adding they suspect the girl made up a cover story to explain her absence at the wedding party, after her family members noticed she was missing.

She was picked up at 9pm and returned home late, the police official said. She feared her family might question her stay at Farid’s place once they had come to know of it, said the police officer, insisting that DNA test will help them in determining what happened.

However, the girl’s family maintained there was no need to conduct the DNA test as the rape had been proven by the medical tests.

Police said the suspects would be sent to jail only after the police receives the DNA test report, which is not likely for a month or so.

The suspects might be sentenced to death for gang rape, if proven, according to Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act, 2006.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (13)

Ren | 12 years ago | Reply @faisal saad: Faisal the religious fanatics are not unique to PK. Here in the US in the lat 20 years they have taken control of our government and one bad act leads o another, 911 was a pass for both sides (Christian and Muslim) nut's to use religion to justify their immoral ultra conservative actions. Religions have always been used to justify discrimination of UN-believers. The less religion in government the better. Don't PK's laws allow personal suits against perps if the state does nothing? I should think that to blame the women and to fail to act for months is cause for legal action both against the police and the perps.When governments fail to at to protect the poorest and most helpless the government loses it's legitimacy. Ren

Sayani | 12 years ago | Reply @Raj: that indeed is a sad and bitter truth my friend.

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sohail | 12 years ago | Reply influential i think the other family is so much influential that even this newspaper is not publishing the name of the accused rapists. Where do we go from here? The media itself is a partner in such crime by not bringing the 100% facts.

Raj | 12 years ago | Reply @Sayani : "Islam, gave women their freedom to live and chose which they didnt have before so practically speaking do you think that the same doctrine of life will take something away from them?" Probably what you are saying is true. But definitely that theory is not put into practice across the Islamic world.

faisal saad | 12 years ago | Reply @Raha: it's not indian people but i guess fundoos like you think that all 180 million of us paksitanis are brainwashed narrow islamic fundamentalists like you.Speaking up against the increasing religious fanaticism in my country doesn't make one an indian or amreeki or yahodi agent, it makes one a human being with a functioning brain who questions what has been fed to us since birth in the name of religion.

abdul sami | 12 years ago | Reply @Fahd Shah: yeah right, we would have hands & feet chopped off,heads cut off for daring to express an opinion based on rationality instead of religious dogma,rape victims would be punished for the crime of getting raped. We have already seen the devastating results of allowing religion to interfere in our laws,the kind of hate filled,intolerant & bigoted society that it has produced,we are seeing the daily terrorist attacks by islamic fundamentalists. What is needed is less religion in our laws,not more.

Raha | 12 years ago | Reply Indian sick people come and comment here the issue is not virginity but the crime against her and denial of justice which is common in india too. soon there would be blood and uprising it is too much

I_love_Pakistan | 12 years ago | Reply In Pakistan the popular movement of 2007 restored the Judge NOT the justice. Despair and hopelessness is what today's Pakistan present.

Fahd Shah | 12 years ago | Reply If the Govt does not take strict actions of the above case then we will have more people like Farid all over Pakistan, If people like Farid are stoned in front of public then no one will look in the eye of our sisters. Islamic Law is the best law in the world which must be obeyed for justice.

Sayani | 12 years ago | Reply The issue is not of virgnity here guys and stop blaming religion for it. I dont have in depth study on this matter from religious perspective so won't argue on it but I have firm faith in Islam as the way of life and that it is the only righteous path of life. Islam, gave women their freedom to live and chose which they didnt have before so practically speaking do you think that the same doctrine of life will take something away from them? Do u think she comitted suicide becuase of virginity? Being a guy i believe its very hard to imagine the humiliation that a woman (of any religion or society) goes through and the effect it has on her psychologically. The issue here is our cultural degradation at the hands of such people. If we are to raise our voices, then raise it against this cultural exploitation and fundamental absence of ethics. I believe we should not resort to blaming Islam just on the basis of hearsay. we should study on our own. Furthermore, Islam is not a religion. It is a way of life which is why it is applicable for the whole eternity and can adapt to changing times.

Hammad Ali | 12 years ago | Reply For God sake, hang these people to death !

saleem imran | 12 years ago | Reply What do you expect when our Nikah forms have a clause requiring the bride to be a virgin !!!! Such disgusting misogyny right there in our religious legal documents !!. Why no clause for the virginity status of the dulhay raja?? Why all the discrimination & targetting of the girls only? Why don't any of our women raise their voices against such religious double standards? I've seen girls screaming & shouting about their inlaws or husbands but never against the shocking discrimination done against women by religion.

muhammad rahim akhtar | 12 years ago | Reply Such suicides happen all the time since our religion places so much importance on the virginity status of women.A woman is only 'good' we're told by our ulema & maulvis if she is 'pure' & 'virgin'.A 'good' girl is described in terms of her virginity status.Hence, the promise as a 'reward' of 72 virgins in heaven for a muslim boy who kills non-muslims. When will our public's sick obsession with female virginity end?

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