Assaulted province
Pakistanis sniff at the stories of rape conducted in India but do not realize the problem within their own country
It’s about time that CM Shahbaz Sharif paid attention to the growing incidence of rape in his province, leaving aside his fascination for underpasses and overhead bridges in Lahore.
While many Pakistanis sniff at the stories of rape conducted in India, they do not realize that the problem on this side of the border is no better. It may be worse, if some human rights activists are to be believed.
He should start by investigating the activities of MNAs and MPAs from his own party. Recently, it may be mentioned, a case against three sons of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Mian Farooq and five others who allegedly gang raped a girl was dropped. The victim stated last week that she was not interested in the prosecution of the accused.
The girl said she is unwilling to give a blood sample for a DNA test and stated in the affidavit that there is no need to carry out DNA tests on the accused. In perfect compliance, the police have therefore dropped the case.
The MNA in question then went on to say that the victim had “concocted the rape incident” and accused her of blackmail.
In any other part of the world, the police would have taken over the case and not stopped investigation since it had already confirmed through tests conducted that the girl had been gang-raped. The DNA tests would have established who her rapists were. It would have led to the arrest of those already identified by the victim. Not so in Punjab.
Local journalists say that the victim has withdrawn her complaint on pressure put on her family. Where was the Khadim-e-Aala in all this?
Why should we stop there? No progress has still been made in the September 2013 incident (one year has passed) when some unidentified persons raped a five-year-old girl and threw her outside a teaching hospital.
A watchman who found the girl unconscious with blood stains on her clothes moved her to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Doctors at the hospital examined her and confirmed that she had been raped repeatedly for more than an hour. Her tormentors were more than one.
The daughter of a Wapda employee, the girl was playing with her three-year-old cousin outside her Mughalpura home when she went missing along with her cousin. The kidnappers threw the girl on the green belt outside the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and the boy near the Services Hospital.
A traffic warden found the boy weeping outside the Services Hospital and took him to the office of a private TV channel and then to the Child Protection Bureau.
The father of the victim called upon Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to “publicly hang the criminals on the very spot where they committed this inhuman act”.
In response, the chief minister took serious note of the incident and directed police to arrest the culprits. So far, the Punjab police made one arrest and that too turned out to be a false lead.
The incidents of rape in Lahore may have risen over the past couple of years. Some of these incidents were highlighted by the media, most have not been reported. The ones mentioned here are only a tip of the iceberg.
In October 2013, a 14-year old girl was found unconscious near Expo Center near Jauhar Town where she was apparently dumped by her molesters. Her rescuers took her to Jinnah Hospital’s emergency room where an initial examination confirmed she was raped. No arrests so far.
In March 2014, a 19 year old from Karachi was raped and dumped on the roadside by some unidentified persons. The rescue services were informed that a young girls lying unconscious near Ghazi Road Lahore. The girl was rushed to a local hospital where tests confirmed she was raped.
In a statement to police, the girl alleged that she was lured by a woman named Rehana to Lahore and a man named Yousuf raped her for two days. Again, no arrests.
In July 2014, a three year old girl was gang raped in Green town area of Lahore. Unidentified persons raped the girl and fled after throwing her on the street. The girl was shifted to Jinnah Hospital. Again no arrests.
How long will this continue? Will the Punjab police only be used to attack protestors and journalists in Islamabad?
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2014.
While many Pakistanis sniff at the stories of rape conducted in India, they do not realize that the problem on this side of the border is no better. It may be worse, if some human rights activists are to be believed.
He should start by investigating the activities of MNAs and MPAs from his own party. Recently, it may be mentioned, a case against three sons of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Mian Farooq and five others who allegedly gang raped a girl was dropped. The victim stated last week that she was not interested in the prosecution of the accused.
The girl said she is unwilling to give a blood sample for a DNA test and stated in the affidavit that there is no need to carry out DNA tests on the accused. In perfect compliance, the police have therefore dropped the case.
The MNA in question then went on to say that the victim had “concocted the rape incident” and accused her of blackmail.
In any other part of the world, the police would have taken over the case and not stopped investigation since it had already confirmed through tests conducted that the girl had been gang-raped. The DNA tests would have established who her rapists were. It would have led to the arrest of those already identified by the victim. Not so in Punjab.
Local journalists say that the victim has withdrawn her complaint on pressure put on her family. Where was the Khadim-e-Aala in all this?
Why should we stop there? No progress has still been made in the September 2013 incident (one year has passed) when some unidentified persons raped a five-year-old girl and threw her outside a teaching hospital.
A watchman who found the girl unconscious with blood stains on her clothes moved her to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Doctors at the hospital examined her and confirmed that she had been raped repeatedly for more than an hour. Her tormentors were more than one.
The daughter of a Wapda employee, the girl was playing with her three-year-old cousin outside her Mughalpura home when she went missing along with her cousin. The kidnappers threw the girl on the green belt outside the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and the boy near the Services Hospital.
A traffic warden found the boy weeping outside the Services Hospital and took him to the office of a private TV channel and then to the Child Protection Bureau.
The father of the victim called upon Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to “publicly hang the criminals on the very spot where they committed this inhuman act”.
In response, the chief minister took serious note of the incident and directed police to arrest the culprits. So far, the Punjab police made one arrest and that too turned out to be a false lead.
The incidents of rape in Lahore may have risen over the past couple of years. Some of these incidents were highlighted by the media, most have not been reported. The ones mentioned here are only a tip of the iceberg.
In October 2013, a 14-year old girl was found unconscious near Expo Center near Jauhar Town where she was apparently dumped by her molesters. Her rescuers took her to Jinnah Hospital’s emergency room where an initial examination confirmed she was raped. No arrests so far.
In March 2014, a 19 year old from Karachi was raped and dumped on the roadside by some unidentified persons. The rescue services were informed that a young girls lying unconscious near Ghazi Road Lahore. The girl was rushed to a local hospital where tests confirmed she was raped.
In a statement to police, the girl alleged that she was lured by a woman named Rehana to Lahore and a man named Yousuf raped her for two days. Again, no arrests.
In July 2014, a three year old girl was gang raped in Green town area of Lahore. Unidentified persons raped the girl and fled after throwing her on the street. The girl was shifted to Jinnah Hospital. Again no arrests.
How long will this continue? Will the Punjab police only be used to attack protestors and journalists in Islamabad?
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2014.