Teenage girl subjected to violence in DG Khan

Later, court hands her over to family

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The teenage girl, who had fled Darul Aman, was subjected to violence on Jam Pur Road in Dera Ghazi Khan on Thursday.

She is a resident of Kohlu, Balochistan and came to Dera Ghazi Khan around 15 days ago.



On Wednesday, at a police picket, she was asked for some legal documents which she didn't possess. Later, she was arrested and was sent to Model Town B police station. The same day police presented her before the area magistrate on which the court sent her to Darul Aman. However, when she fled Darul Aman on Thursday morning, the staff from Thana Gadai's area Khayaban-e-Sarwar dragged her back to Darul Aman.

Police said a man, nominated in the case of kidnaping of the girl, was arrested in Kohlu three days back.

Upon receiving the information of girl being in Darul Aman, the family reached there and with lawyer's facilitation submitted plea regarding the custody of the girl on which the court on August 16 summoned R*, along with Incharge Darul Aman, but in the morning on hearing news of the girl's fleeing the shelter home, staff and police went on a search operation. However, staff workers followed and caught her near Dasti Pull, opposite Khayaban-e-Sarwar and subjected her to violence.

Since there was no lady police with them, R* started shouting and said she didn't want to go with them at any cost. Police said she also levelled allegations against Darul Aman, claiming she was raped at the facility.

After the incident, the High Court Bar Association's Women Rights Committee Coordinator Sundus Rahim Advocate and Human Rights Committee's Mirza Muhammad Idrees Khan strongly condemned the Darul Aman's staff negligence and demanded an investigation into the incident. They said stern action be taken against the responsible people.



On the other hand, Deputy Commissioner Ali Akbar Bhatti took an immediate notice of the incident and ordered a team to investigate the issue.

*Names withheld to protect identity 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2018.