The horrific incident took place at the Fort Munro border military police (BMP) station in the southern Punjab district of Dera Ghazi Khan.
The five girls, all in their teens, reached the Fort Munro hill station from Lahore three days ago for vacation. Asif Abbas, the spouse of one of the victims, was accompanying them.
At the hill station’s entrance, however, BMP personnel stopped them and accused them of being terrorists.
The women were then locked up in a room, where they were allegedly gang-raped by the policemen.
Abbas recalled that he heard the girls crying for help.
“The next morning, they released us and warned that if we informed anyone of the incident, we would be sold or killed,” he claimed.
Abbas approached BMP’s Division Commandant Tariq Ali Basra, who rushed to Fort Munro to investigate the incident. However, local sympathisers of the alleged rapists refused to let Basra investigate the incident.
“I assured them no action would be taken against the accused and returned to Dera Ghazi Khan,” he told The Express Tribune.
Upon his return, Basra suspended the staff of the BMP’s station in Fort Munro.
So far three suspects – Amjad Ali, Ahmed Zafar and Naveed Iqbal – have been arrested, while two others are at large. The victims identified the fourth suspect as Majeed Leghari.
Later in the day, armed tribesmen from the areas got the arrested alleged rapists released. They surrounded the BMP Fort Munro police station and did not allow the police to shift the suspects to Dera Ghazi Khan city. The BPM was in negotiations with the tribesmen for the custody of the alleged rapists, so that they could be presented before the court.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (8)
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a worst incident happend in an islamic country a very shmeful act did by military i think without wasting any second those military men must be hanged in the mid of the main road so it will be a lesson for every one.
@muhammad Taj:
It is sad that you are pointing the girls itself , among others, responsible for the incident. ( probable reason that it is far off area with rough terrain having sort of nomadic tribes so unsafe). but the gang rape is caused by the military police who is supposed to protect the people and not by the local tribe,This mind set will held a girl responsible if she travels/walks in the night for any unwanted incident It indicates that part of the society has accepted that nothing can be done and you yourself is responsible if you have not taken the precaution. Are we living in a state of lawlessness. Can't the perpetrators of crime be handled with a iron hand ?
Brig Zaman and M. Taj: Blame the victims? Investigate what the girls were doing at Fort Monro? How about exercising their rights as citizens of Pakistan to visit a part of their country. This wasn't a restricted tribal area, it was a part of a so called settled province. Blaming the victim is exactly why women in Pakistan continue to suffer.
Just to be clear, the background of these girls does not matter. No woman asks to be raped.
Go back to your caves
The investigating authorities should contact the parents of these girls to obtain information about their social background and the circumstances under which they were roaming around in the tribal area without proper security arrangements. Initial medical reports must be obtained and samples of semen must be preserved for DNA tests. The Chief Minister should not leave the investigation to the local administration. Instead some high ups along with senior police officers from the provincial capital should stay at the site and supervise the investigation. Force should be used to prevent any intervention by the tribes men.
This is a complicated issue. In this unfortunate incident, parents of girls, their invitee and the girls himself are equally responsible. What to say about our police, in fact they are wolves in the shape of men. The majority of police personnel in Pakistan possess this kind of ethics. Police which are considered custodian of the common people actually behave like real criminals and also getting handsome salaries.
I request to high ups or the people who are responsible for maintenance of discipline in armed Forces to kindly overhaul all this system. In this case police is himself involve in serious crime of gang rape. In other cases when a victim reaches the police station for help police demand bribe from for giving him his right. Is this an Islamic State and dream of Quaid e Azam! certainly not.
You guys never publish my opinion as i posted against media and show you the real face of media. I will never read your biased paper again as you just share what you feel is right.
The incidence is deplorable as it was reported. We must critically analyse the circumstances under which five young girls; four from Lahore and one from Bahawalpur visited to God Foresaken place like Fort Munro. It was allegedly, with the inviation from the so called fiance of one of them. Wheer were their parents when they made such an irresponsible move and paved their journey to semi nomadic, Baluch dominated zone of Dera Ghazi Khan, where tribal traditions are upheld and the zone is out of law enforced part of the country. There are many questions, which may be asked. The security personnel, if responsible must be taken to the task and dealt with iron hands, if proven guilty. The sad past of the report was that all apprehended accused ones were rescued from the custody by the tribals. Those who are unaware of the history of the region must know that British took it with force and applied force and benovolence. We need tactfulness and are at the mercy of rumours, myth, circumsatnces and cultural dilemma.