Woman tries to commit suicide in Lahore court

Woman says she has no money to fight a legal battle against her husband who raped their daughter

LAHORE:

A woman on Tuesday tried to commit suicide at a district court in Lahore as she had no money to fight a legal battle against her husband, who had allegedly raped their daughter.

The accused, Nadeem Shah, had allegedly been raping his own daughter for a long time. The girl was living with him after a temporary separation between the husband and the wife, Kaneez Bibi.

Three of the couple's five children were living with their mother, while two including the daughter were living with their father.

A female neighbour had informed that the daughter was being sexually abused by the father.

The girl revealed that her father had been raping her for a long time and threatened her with dire consequences if she ever told anyone the truth.

The survivor’s mother visited the Nisthar Colony police station and registered an FIR against her husband under section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code – which states that whoever commits rape shall be punished with death or imprisonment, and be liable to a fine.

The police arrested the accused, produced him before the magisterial court, and sought physical remand on plea to investigate the matter. The accused was sent to judicial remand after which he filed for post-arrest bail in the district and sessions court.

Today, the complainant tried to commit suicide by dousing herself with petrol. However, police officials and litigants rescued the woman in time.

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The complainant stated that she belonged to a poor family and had no money to afford a legal battle against her husband. She also alleged that he was influencing the case and threatening to kill her and the victim.

District and session Judge Habib Ullah Amir took notice of the incident and sought a report from the security in charge of the sessions court, Sub Inspector Abid Hussain, over the matter.

Separately, in Kurianwala, a minor boy and a woman were sexually abused, while another minor thwarted a rape attempt by raising alarm. Police registered cases and launched raids to arrest the suspects.

The complainant told the police that suspects Ghulam Mustafa and Muhammad Faisal kidnapped her, took her to an unknown location, and raped her.

She added that the suspects lured her under the false pretence of employment.

The police registered a case under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code and have started searching for the suspects.