Behind bars: PHC rejects bail plea in Kohat rape case

K-P Assembly deputy speaker’s brother and accomplice claim case framed on political basis.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail applications of Safdar Qureshi, brother of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Imtiaz Qureshi, and his accomplice in an alleged rape case in Kohat.

A single-member bench of Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain dismissed the bail plea. Amin Khattak Lachi and Ibrahim Shah, counsels for the victim, told the bench that both accused entered the house of Farzana on May 8 and raped her while she was home alone in the morning. Qureshi and his accomplice Asmatullah were both later arrested by Shakardara police.

Khattak told the bench that the family of the accused is pressuring the victim’s family to withdraw the case. Because of this, he added, the FIR against the accused could not be registered until three days after the incident, while the medical report was also being constantly delayed.

On the other hand, the counsel of the accused claimed that the case against his clients had been framed on a political basis.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court dismissed the bail application of the accused in the alleged rape case.

On June 6, the victim from Shakardara told the media on PHC premises that her family is being pressurised to withdraw the case by the influential family of the accused. Farzana claimed that she, along with her father, would commit suicide if justice was not provided to them.

Her father Zulfiqar also said on the occasion that they were stopped on the way while trying to shift Farzana to the hospital for a medical check-up. “My daughter’s report was received late, “Zulfiqar said, “while its results were also changed on the orders of the accused.”

The accused had approached PHC for bail after a lower court had dismissed their application.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2014.