Relatives accused of hushing up girl's abuse

Police have registered a case against a man accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in the Sadiqabad police jurisdiction, as well as several of his relatives who allegedly attempted to suppress the incident and harassed the child and her family.

According to the complaint filed by the girl's father, Nauman Ijaz, his two daughters, aged eight and six, travelled from Lahore to Rawalpindi with their paternal grandmother on September 23 to attend a relative's wedding.

The father alleged that after returning to Lahore, his eight-year-old daughter told her mother that she had been sexually assaulted on the night of September 25 while sleeping at the house of Parveen Akhtar, the grandmother of the accused, Haider Ali.

According to the complaint, the girl alleged that Haider Ali took her to another room while she was asleep and subjected her to sexual abuse. When she woke up in pain and screamed, the suspect allegedly covered her mouth with his hand and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident.

The father said the family took the girl to a female gynaecologist, who, after examining her, advised them to seek a medical examination at a government hospital and register a case against the suspect.

The complainant further alleged that the girl had initially told her paternal grandmother about the incident, who informed the suspect's maternal grandmother. However, instead of reporting the matter to the police, the suspect's mother, aunt and other relatives allegedly attempted to hush it up, citing the ongoing wedding celebrations and the risk of bringing embarrassment to the family.

The complaint alleged that the girl, her grandmother and other family members were repeatedly harassed and pressured not to disclose the incident to her parents in Lahore. The father also accused another relative, Ayan Ali, of mentally tormenting the child while she remained in Rawalpindi.

The complainant said the family's approach to the police was delayed because of the alleged pressure exerted by the relatives and road closures linked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests, which disrupted travel between Lahore and Rawalpindi.