Domestic violence: Woman accuses ex-husband of physical abuse

Two days ago Talal Khan told his ex-wife to come over, using their youngest son’s health as a pretext.

ABBOTABAD: Ayesha*, a mother of four, accused her former husband of 12 years of physically assaulting her and making her strip, in the Havelian tehsil area.

The 36-year-old is from Garhi Phulgran village and was married to Talal Khan* from Batala village. Together they have three sons and a daughter. Nearly six months ago, Khan divorced Ayesha after an argument and sent her packing to her parents without her haq mehr.

While talking to journalists on Sunday, Ayesha said her ex-husband had also kept the children but got in touch with her two days ago. “He said my youngest son was sick and wanted me there,” she said.



“I rushed to my ex-husband’s house without informing my parents, and when I reached he was there, waiting, with two of his relatives.” She added the men dragged her into a room and beat her up after which they tore her clothes off. She was then left alone and unconscious in the room. Ayesha showed the journalists the bruises on her arms and legs.

“After I regained my strength, I borrowed clothes from a neighbour, and asked her to inform the police. When they got there, they took me to Rajoya police post, and kept using delaying tactics to not register the FIR.”

Ayesha added the police then took her for a medical examination to another station in a police van, and her condition kept getting worse. They dropped her at her sister’s house well past midnight.

The police accepted her complaint but did not register a case even after Ayesha threatened to go to the media if they did not. She demanded the Khyber-Pakhunkhwa (K-P) IGP and chief minister help her register a criminal case against the accused and arrest him.

The police post’s sub-inspector, Riafat, was not available for comment. However, according to one police official, an investigation is under way and a case will be registered after they received the medical report and advice from the prosecution department.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2013.