Girl gang-raped for ‘acquiring education’

Girl gang-raped for ‘acquiring education’

‘Influential’ accused at large even after 20 days By Nadeem Shah MULTAN: The Kabirwala police have failed to arrest the accused of a gang-rape case who are said to be the henchmen of a minister of state. According to details, Ghazala Shaheen Bathi of a low caste came to her village Chak Sher Khan near Kabirwala to inform her parents that she had passed her Master’s in Education from the Bahauddin Zakariya University on August 25. The news of her success spread in the village in no time, which instigated the minister’s people and the tribal elders of the upper caste Miralis –- an offshoot of the Hiraj clan. On the same night, 12 Mirali tribesmen, including five to six armed men of the minister, forced their way into her house and severely beat up her father Muhammad Hussain, a retired militaryman, with boots, iron rods and the butts of guns. Some of the accused were dressed in police uniform. They allegedly kidnapped Ghazala and her mother Mumtaz Mai and dragged them for about one kilometre while thrashing them all the time. Both of them were kept in the private custody of the abductors and gang-raped for 12 days. On September 5, locals informed the police about the kidnappers’ hideout where the girl and her mother were being detained. Sources said Kabirwala DSP Daud Hussain raided the place and allegedly provided a chance to the alleged kidnappers to escape with the abductees. However, the people caught one car, which was carrying the women and her mother and overpowered three of the accused — one was identified Nazar Muhammad while the other two were allegedly the minister’s guards. When they all were taken to the Kabirwala police station, the police did not allow Mumtaz Mai and her daughter to meet with their relatives. The DSP arranged a press conference in which he stated that the case was an outcome of old enmity and nothing had happened to the girl and her mother. The Kabirwala hospital medical report has confirmed that both the victims were gang-raped. However, police have released a guard and another person who were arrested during the raid. Other accused, particularly Muhammad Nawaz, who is said to be the right-hand man of the minister, Nazar Muhammad, Abbas, Azhar, Wajid and Ghazanfar, Muhammad Ali and others are still at large. When contacted, Kabirwala Sadar SHO Mehboob Rabbani denied the minister’s involvement in the case and said there was no pressure on them in apprehending the accused. He said neither the minister was backing the accused nor the accused were his henchmen. “We are trying to nab the other accused.” Police officials told human rights activists during their visit to the victims that it was a result of an old enmity, while the girl and her mother had run away from their house on their own. The victim family told newsmen that they were receiving threats from the influential landlords and politicians.