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Sindh Taraqipasand Party Workers Gang Rape a 13-Year Old
Miss Fauzia Khaskheli, 13 years old, daughter of Mukhtar Khaskheli, resident of TandoAllahyar, Sindh, was abducted and gang raped on May 29, 2014, during an entire night by six notorious criminals who are wanted by the police in more than 30 cases and they have been given head money from government of Sindh for their arrests – dead or alive.
The place of gang rape incident was not far away from the A Section police station Tando Allahyar but her cries did not attract the police attention. Next day in early morning she was thrown near the Railway line at NasarpurPhatak.
The girl was in dilapidated conditioned which infuriated villagers who have protested outside the police station. There were more than 200 people there,but police officials at the A Section police station have been more concerned about the perpetrators as they belong to a nationalist cum political party, the Sindh Taraqipasand Party (STP).
The SHO Sohail Mirza filed the First Information Report (FIR) under sections of 376 (B)-364 (B)-324-and 337 of Pakistan Penal Code, the sections on gang rape, forcibly kidnapping, attempt to murder, and causing hurt. The medical report confirmed gang rape.
In the meantime the victim, Fauzia, was produced before the local magistrate for the statement under section 164 and also to identify the accused persons. She identified the rapists by seeing their photographs.
The perpetrators also demonstrated outside the court. When police reached the scene all ran away as they were wanted in more than 30 cases. According to reports , the perpetrators have also threatened the victim and her father that if they do not withdraw the rape case the girl would again face similar consequences and might not survive.
The police are working on the instructions of one Altaf Jaskani, the vice president of STP as his younger brother, Asad Jaskani, was also involved in the gang rape. Asad Jaskani runs notorious groups, extorting money from businessmen and police. The FIR for gang rape mentions the name of Azher Jatoi, Shakeel Khoso, Asad Jaskani, Abdullah Nayo and Gullan Jogi alias Gulla Jogi.
A 17-Year-Old Girl Buried Alive For Marrying By Her Own Choice
Sughra Brohi, 17, a resident of Jhol, Sanghar district, had married Muhammad Ali Khaskheli, a resident of Badin district, of her own choice, three months ago and shifted to Badin with her in laws.
She was buried alive on the instructions of a Jirga. She was buried in a Hindu graveyard and not in a Muslim graveyard as it was felt she had betrayed Islam.
The local police have not registered a case of murder against the perpetrators but instead deputed the security guards on the grave so that people cannot visit.
The parents of the girl are involved in arranging the murder of their daughter.
The boy, Ali Khaskheli, was a three wheeler driver and shifted to Mirpurkhas city from Badin, his ancestor’s village to get employment. He was running his eight seater three wheeler for the pick and drop of school students. During that time they fell in love with each other and decided to marry in Badin city. This was out of fear that the tribe and the parents of the girl will not tolerate the marriage and kill them in the name of an honour killing.
After learning about their marriage the elders of Brohi tribe were not happy and regarded it as usurping the pride of the caste by marrying with Khaskheli caste.
Some three weeks ago the tribal elders pursued the parents of the girl and asked them to bring their daughter back and she would not be punished. Later on, she was forced to return by her family with the assurance on the Quran that she would not be harmed.
After her return a Jirga was held which was presided over by her uncle, Nazar Muhammad Brohi, which decided to punish her by burying her alive.
The elders and her father decided that she did not deserve a burial in a Muslim graveyard and according to a newspaper, the Kawish, they dug a hole in Bheel’s graveyard of the Hindu religion near Jhol police station in village Hakim Mari, near Sanjhoro and in midnight buried her alive in village Hakim Khan Marri, Taluka Sanjhoro, district Sanghar. Her cries did not stop the elders, her father and uncles from this heinous act.
Even after 15 days the police did not take the action as they thought the action was justified according to tribal norms and Islamic teachings.
The father of the girl approached the police and filed a FIR in Jhol police station, district Sanghar, for the murder of his daughter when he could not bargain with the tribal elders for blood money (Diyat).
The whereabouts of the boy is still not known and it is feared that he might have been killed.
The honour killing of girls is common in the rural areas of Sindh where the feudal social system is intact and takes lot of pride in its so-called tolerant culture. The main reason for the honour killing is to deny the women and their husband their share from the properties. Though there is a law through which has declared honour killings as intentional murder but because of the poor rule of law and patriarchal attitude of the administration and government functionaries the menace of honour killings continues unabated.
Father Rapes His Daughter & Then Kills Her in Gujrat
By Nida Paras
From the early ages in Pakistan women have lived in a society which is anti-women where they are treated as unwanted creatures.
Pakistan is a country where violations against women are the highest and conditions become even more alarming as women are discriminated against on the basis of gender even before birth. Women in Pakistan suffer atrocities such as honor killings, acid throwing, domestic violence, torture, forced labour, forced marriages, sexual assault and sexual harassment as a norm.
One such case is that of Sofia Safdar of Gujrat. A few days ago Mr. Safdar Hussain, Sofia’s father raped his own daughter and after that the family poisoned her. This incident occurred in the Nawan Kot Village of the Gujrat district of Punjab. It came to light when Sobia Amaan, a friend of the victim, sent a letter to the Chief Justice, Umer Ata Bandial of the Lahore High Court based on the information regarding the incident.
According to Sobia, her friend Sofia Safdar had been sexually harassed by her father and when she revealed the situation to her family members, her mother, brother and grandmother did not pay any attention and refused to take her side. After that she left her home and shifted towards Gulshane Ravi in Lahore where her relatives sent several messages assuring her that it would not happen again and that she should return home. She did so on May 30, 2013 and after just two days, on June 2, she was dead, poisoned by her relatives and buried secretly in a local graveyard. Her relatives did not file any case against her father.
This incident exposes the religious traditions in Pakistan and the fact that ‘honour’ is more important to the family than the knowledge that a father raped his daughter. Not one of the family members, the mother, siblings, the grandmother and all the other close relatives stood up for the victim and punished the father for such a heinous crime. Instead, the easiest solution was to kill Sofia and bury her in secret so that the family’s shame would be buried, in secret, with her.
Their first priority was to protect the honour of the family and secondly to take the shelter behind religious tradition. The rapist was provided protection by his wife and siblings to murder Sofia in order to hide his crime. The murder of the daughter in the name of honour was, in fact, not to uphold the religious traditions but to reinforce the concept that women are the only source of sexual corruption and therefore it is only the woman that is liable for punishment and not the rapist. The rapist was the bread winner of the family and the victim was dependent on him and therefore liable to be murdered.
Similar cases of honor killings are now a common occurrence in Muslim and Pakistani communities of the west. Despite being welcomed into their adoptive countries they have made no effort to accept the enlightened norms of those societies. Muslims generally allow any crime by their men to be ignored as a birth right but cannot accept the fact that their women also have rights. This outdated attitude does not even spare their daughters from being raped by their fathers.
We cannot accept the fact that crimes are being done in the name of honour and religion and remain silent on such issues because of the restrictions on the freedom of expression
These incidents are common in Pakistan and every day a number of women become prey to the perpetrators as they are considered weak and totally dependent upon others. According to the great philosopher and human rights advocate, Mary Wollstonecraft, “I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.”
It is a sad indictment of Pakistani society that not one religious group or party has raised their voices demanding justice for Sofia and the punishment of the family and the father who was supposed to protect her. This is quite simply because they do not consider violence against women to be a crime.
Nida Paras is working on the youth issues in Pakistan and is office bearer of Progressive Youth Forum, she can be reached at; nida@ahrc.asia
Two Young Sisters Raped by the Police in Sindh
Two young sisters, Najma (18) and Asma (20), daughters of the late Ali Hasan Rajput, were taken into custody in the late hours of October 8, 2013 by Sub Inspector Abdullah Awan, the SHO of Khambarha police station, district Ghotki, Sindh province. He was assisted by Head Constable Abdul Razzak and Constable Arbelo.
At the time of the police raid the elder brother, Noor Hasan, was not at home and police said they were taking both the sisters as hostages for his surrender as he is wanted in a four-year old case of abduction for ransom.
On the first night of abduction, both sisters were raped in the police station and during the next two days they were raped in a private house. One sister was spared for one day as her monthly menses started. The father of the sisters is deceased and the brother was doing a job in Karachi, 500 kilometers from their home. The young women were taken care of by their uncle.
During all the three days the uncle visited the police station and SHO. He was constantly advised that the police are conducting investigations so they would be released soon. The uncle was never allowed to meet his nieces. After three days their uncle went to an influential landlord, Mr. Liaquat, and requested his help to get the two victims released. As Mr. Liaquat spoke with the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Abdul Salam Sheikh, he pressured the SHO to release the victims. The women were released in the afternoon of October 11 following which they told their uncle that they had been gang raped both at the police station and in a private house.
The brother of the victims hired a lawyer, Mr. Solangi, who filed a case of gang rape in custody before a Session’s Court and the media started providing coverage on the news. The Session Court judge ordered the SSP to conduct an inquiry into the charge of gang rape. However, the SSP immediately told the SHO to make some excuse to avoid the charges of rape in custody and also to stop the government hospital from giving a medical report supporting the allegation of rape.
Immediately SHO Awan filed a case against the sisters for abetting in a case of abduction for ransom. However the media, particularly the Geo TV, immediately reported the case and interviewed the victims. This was promplty picked up by other media houses. The civil society also came out in support of the victims and started agitating for the arrest of the rapists and the production of a medical report. The lawyer filed an application for medical checkups in the Session Court which was granted. The lady doctor confirmed the rape but the official report has yet not been released due to the influence of the high police officers of the district.
The police have arrested SHO Awan and Head Constable Abdul Razzak on October 13 whereas the third perpetrator, Constable Arbelo remains at large. One member of the Sindh provincial assembly, Jam Mehtab Dahar, has come out in support of the perpetrators and is using the government machinery to provide help to the SHO. It is said that the SHO assisted him in the general elections to get the seat of the MPA by stamping the ballot papers after the voting was stopped.
When the police officials were produced before court they were without handcuffs and the SHO was all the time using his two cell phones and enjoying some food. He told the journalists that he will be quickly released, that he knows how to deal with them and that they will face his real treatment. He was also angry with the reporter of Geo TV, Mr. Aslam Malik, and threatened him that he would not be spared. The daily Jang reported that he also announced that this time two girls were raped however, when he is released he will rape all the women of the village.
There is an old case of abduction for ransom which has been pending for four years and the police use this case for extorting money from different people, particularly from religious minority groups.
The Supreme Court has declared that those police officers who were involved in criminal charges cannot be restored to office. SHO Awan is among those police officials but he has a good relationship with the SSP. The other advantage for his appointment as SHO was that the Khambarha is the place where the smuggled oil and petrol from Iran is brought into Pakistan and distributed illegally to different parts of the country at competitive rates. The daily illegal earnings of the Khambarha police station is around Rs. 100,000 and it is distributed among the different tiers of high officers.
Another Father Molesting His Daughter
WAR recently was approached by Zeenat*, a resident of Defense Housing Authority Karachi, and a mother of four children. Zeenat told WAR that on 19thSeptember 2012 she was informed by her 14-year old daughter Mahjabeen*, that herfather had been sexually molesting her for a period of two yearsand that on the16thof September 2012 he sodomized her. Consequently, a medico-legal examination was conducted on the 18thof September, and FIR (456/2012) lodged by Mahjabeen on 20thSeptember 2012.
The matter was set for S164 statements in the Magistrate’s Court, Karachi, on the 26thof September. The same morning WAR’s lawyer was notified by the Investigating Officer (IO) that a bail application had also been enrolled. When WAR’s team arrived at the city court, they were faced by the accused’s legal team, which consisted of Adv. Habib-ur-Rehman (ex-Principal SM Law College) and other senior advocates. The accused and his family being influential people are using all their resources to mount pressure on the prosecution and investigating officers, and will attempt to sabotage this case in any possible way.
The accused’s family members also tried to intimidate the complainant’s mother, and publicly ravished her character in court; saying that she is a fashion designer of bad moral character.
WAR’s Advocate Asia Muneer who is handling the case may be contacted on0321 375 2281. For any otherlogisticalqueries, please contact Rukhsana Siddiqui on0321 827 0073.
Sanaa Rasheed
War Against Rape (WAR), Karachi.
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