Two girls, including a minor, were allegedly kidnapped and raped in the Naukot area of Mirpurkhas district in Sindh on Monday.
The incident took place in the backdrop of a dispute between the Tangri and the Rajput communities of the district over a free-will marriage.
The reports coming in from the area revealed that a man belonging to the Rajput family whisked away a woman from the Tangril community to marry her and the latter took revenge by kidnapping the girls of the former group.
"We were sitting in our home Sunday morning when more than a dozen people entered our house and began areal firing and torturing the men and women present inside," Liaquat, maternal uncle of the girls, told The Express Tribune over the phone.
"Later, they took away my nieces, K* who is 13 years old and F* who is 18 years old," he added. The man added that the culprits also ransacked the property and, before leaving, said: "Take them back after returning our women."
After the incident, the affected family registered a complaint with Naukot police and staged a sit-in on the highway Monday morning, mounting pressure on the police and local administration to recover the girls.
"The DSP [deputy superintendent of police] contacted us to urge us to end the protest, saying they have recovered both the girls," Liaquat said, adding, "When we received them in the evening, both were crying as they narrated the horrific story of how they were raped by the men of the Tangri family."
A burqa-clad woman of the Rajput family, while speaking to media, said that a medical examination of the victims had been carried out and that they were waiting for justice.
Moreover, Dr Zaibunisa, the doctor working at the Naukot hospital, said they had taken the samples of the victims and sent them to Karachi for a report. "The condition of the girls shows that they are sexually assaulted," she added.
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Meanwhile, a video went viral on social media wherein the girls can be seen coming out of a hospital crying for help and narrating their ordeal. According to them, two persons, namely Ali Nawaz Tangri and Nazar Hayat Tangri, had allegedly raped them. "We were barefooted and they took us from one place to other and later assulted us," one of the girl said.
According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mirpurkhas, the police have arrested a few suspects and action would be taken against those involved in the incident.
Soon after the issue was viral on social media, the people from different walks of life condemned it and demanded of the concern authorities to take strict action against the culprits.
Leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh reacting said that PPP government and its administration has failed to provide protection to the citizens. "Why police did not take action and elected representatives of PPP were mum when these girls were abducted," he said adding that he himself would visit the victim family and help them.
However, the Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Human Rights Department Surendar Valasai while taking notice of it, formed a Fact Finding Committee to hold an independent inquiry into the incident of kidnapping and gangrape of two girls namely Ms Fiza Rajput and Kanwal Rajput near Naukot in Mirpurkhas district.
The Committee will be headed by Kashif Bajeer. Noorunissa Abro and Samtra Manjiani will be the members.
The Committee will meet the victims, their families and relevant officials and individuals to ascertain facts about the incident and furnish its recommendations for action by the concerned authorities including the suggestions to check such heinous crimes in future.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2022.
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