Haleema Rafiq, a resident of Multan and a fast-bowler on the national women’s cricket team, drank acid used to sterilise toilets and lost consciousness on Monday. She was taken to Nishtar Hospital, where she breathed her last.
Haleema was buried on Tuesday and police officials said family members had declined a post-mortem. At the same time, the police said they would be an applicant in a case to conduct a postmortem, if necessary.
More than a year ago, Haleema and five other female cricketers accused officials of the Multan Cricket Club of sexual harassment. The cricketers told the media that the officials demanded sexual favours in exchange for selection in the team.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2014.
COMMENTS (20)
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Shame on us BCZ we are doing nothing to stop such rubbish activities,Shame on Govt BCZ Government is busy on constructing Road & Bridges and have no time,Shame on Country BCZ we all sleeping & waiting for a Miracle.Please Pray for Country's Daughter & Stop giving nonsense comments.For God sake, Please think positive.
@ Salman, Shaheen, Imran, Raja G- all of you are seriously sick minded.There is only one person dead in all this and you guys are blaming her? None of the officials killed themselves in shame that they were accused of sexual harassment by not one not two but 5 girls???? Don't you have any fear of Allah before uttering such rubbish about somebody's tragic death?
Now even our blame games are now gender biased. Girls can also do wrong, and it is perfectly alright to question them. Taking their own life doesn't make one a victim - and the family denied postmortem. The criminal generalization just mirrors the dire state of affairs :( let's just pray that our law enforcement system gets their act together, and start protecting victims; also that our media becomes responsible in reporting news.
Sad to hear fate of this poor girl.
Justice only works in favor of the influential ones in Pakistan.
Nothing will happen for this girl. She is not Malala.
Its too sad that even the demise of such a young, talented girl doesnt stop people from blaming her. It is a known fact how working conditions are for women in Pakistan. Moreover, PCB itself is one of the most corrupt organizations around. If female cricketers are harassed, do we have a functional la and order situation to deal with? Is that TV show also to blame for such an irresponsible attitude? These questions should be asnwered before commenting on this sad incident.
Being closed related to a person who works in women cricket, I can say that corruption and these form of favors are rampant in PCB. Sadly, they are overlooked and nothing is done to deal with these issues by the government or the patrons in charge.
I feel sad for this young lady.
sex has became a criteria for selection or passing tests. female students often complain about herrasment by teachers. its shame n will continue to be so unless delt harshly.
@Jamal: "See this is the criteria for the selection in the team…. what would they demand from men for the selection in cricket team?"
That depends on the preferences of the selectors. Sexual favours too have a wide range.
Kidding aside, hopefully those involved in investigations are able to set the matters right by removing the rot.
@Uzair: While I feel sorry for the poor girl, I think we should not get emotional in such matters and favour one over the other. Human beings are all created equal and the level of morality is not dependent on the gender. It could be that the Multan officials were the guilty ones but it could also be that the female cricketers were guilty.
We need to face the fact that neither men nor women are 'doodh se dhuley huey' in our society and a lot of bad things are also being committed by the female members of our society.
E.T. Please publish this.
@Uzair:
Before commenting like some feminist liberal, why don't you take some time off from your keyboard wars and care to watch news channels. May be that will help to lower down your frustration.
@RajaG: And you are genius (naive) to believe result of any criminal investigation in Pakistan! Wow! You sure are genius.
One does not commit suicide if his or her charges are not considered correct in eyes of some people. Only Allah knows what is the truth. We all have sisters and daughters so better be careful.
But at such a young age, she had a whole life in front of her. May Allah bless her soul.
The misogyny presented in the comments here by salman and RajaG sicken me to the core. I highly doubt that not just one but 6 girls would all risk their own honor (to use a Pakistani term) and cast these allegations unless there was truth in them. I find it easier to believe that the girls were punished for making allegations than a serious investigation being done. It is more likely that a sexual harassment victim commits suicide than a dishonest accuser.
Poor girl, and I also lament for my country, the land of women-haters.
@Jamal Is this the criteria to comment? open your eyes boy and dont speak of what you have no knowledge off. The Girls were lying an investigation showed the rude behaviour of these female cricketers and they were handed bans for this filthy blame!
And no one cares in the govt or in public why a young girl took her life. Guilty or not, no one even bothers to open the case and find out the facts. This is the reality of this country with disgruntle citizens. Imagine, if this girl was your child, or child belonging to a rich influential family. But who cares. A youth taking his/her own life speaks volume on the morals of the society but who cares as we are already a immoral characterless citizens. We don't give a damn!
As usual, no one will take any action and the 'officials' will be allowed to roam free.
This news is incomplete. She committed suicide out of her shame only when her allegations were proved false in the court. Even her co-mates, who leveled the allegations against the multan club officials, later accepted their guilt to blackmail the local officials.
See this is the criteria for the selection in the team.... what would they demand from men for the selection in cricket team?