TOBA TEK SINGH: A minor Christian girl, allegedly kidnapped some five months ago, has been recovered and handed over to her parents in Chak 233 RB, Hari Singhwala, Faisalabad.

According to an FIR registered on Feb 11 under sections 376, 364, 365, 420, 468, and 471 of Pakistan Penal Code, Laiba, 11, daughter of complainant Suhail Maseeh, was abducted by Irfan Maseeh and his five accomplices and later handed over to Shafqat Shah who forcibly converted Laiba to Islam and married her.

Several inquiries by different police teams declared that Laiba was underage and confirmed that her nikah with Shah was illegal and conducted after her forced conversion. The probes also revealed that Laiba’s transfer from Darul Aman to Shafqat Shah violated rules.

Christian leaders Lala Daniel Robin, Shazia George, Romana Bashir, Saiqa Rehmat, Shaheen Anthony, Pervez Iqbal Bhatti, Yashwa Bhatti and Laiba’s father, Suhail Maseeh thanked international and Pakistani human rights organisations in a press conference on Sunday for raising their voices for Laiba’s recovery.

DIES: Renowned playback singer Ali Raza, who was also a member of the late vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s team, died after a prolonged illness in a hospital in Australia on Sunday. He was a resident of D-Type Colony, Faisalabad, and had been suffering from heart disease.

KILLED: A man killed his wife over a minor quarrel in Siraj Basti, Samundri, Faisalabad, on Sunday. Reports said Muhammad Shafiq of Rawalpindi had come to see his relatives with his wife, Faiza Bibi, and their children. The couple exchanged harsh words over a domestic issue and Shafiq shot her. She died instantly. Police have arrested the accused.

PTI: Twenty-two Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activists were booked for violating a ban on rallies by Satellite Town police, Jhang, on Sunday. Complainant ASI Mahmood Akbar claimed in his FIR, registered under section 188 of PPC, that section 144 CrPC had been imposed in Jhang. However, PTI activists Farooq Jamil Gujjar, Usman Kaluana and 20 accomplices took out a rally in violation of the ban. Raids are being conducted to arrest the PTI activists.

FIA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) established its state-of-the-art ‘Second Line Border Control’ office at Multan airport on Sunday, the second of its kind after the first was set up at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. An FIA spokesperson said the system, installed in collaboration with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, will help stop illegal immigration. The office has been equipped with modern forensic and IT tools to examine fake visas and other documents.

Meanwhile, FIA Multan circle arrested Benazir Income Support Programme supervisor Muhammad Bilal and his accomplice, agent Muhammad Zain, for misappropriation of BISP funds.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024