HYDERABAD: Assault victim appeals for judicial probe
HYDERABAD, July 11: A teenage girl has appealed to the president, the prime minister and the chief justice of Pakistan to hold a judicial inquiry into her case of alleged gang rape. Speaking at a press conference in the press club here on Tuesday, Naila said the investigation wing of the Sanghar police was trying to spoil the case.
The girl said she had been assaulted on June 6, 2006, and lodged an FIR with the Sanghar police, but the investigation wing was trying to help the assailant.
Naila, daughter of Liaquat Ali Rajput, said she appeared before the Regional Police Officer (RPO) of Hyderabad on June 27, 2006, and narrated the case in detail, requesting him to transfer the case to other district or to the crime branch as she did not trust the Sanghar police.
The RPO had suspended Inspector Arbab Magsi, investigating officers Mohammad Hussain Mallah and Ghulam Ali Zardari, but he had not transferred the case.
Later, the Mirpurkhas DIG police operations called her in his office to snub her for complaining against police officers to the RPO, she said. The RPO had appointed SP investigation Gul Hassan Larik and investigating officers Akbar Mari, Bahram Shar and Dost Mohammad Shahani for the probe, she added.
“But these police officers started hatching conspiracies and on one occasion they produced a fake Nikahnama and launched my character assassination to frustrate me,” she claimed.
Naila said she had sent a fax message to the Sindh police officer after the investigation wing had charge-sheeted an innocent man, Ismail Khoso, instead of the main accused, Ismail Gahu.
She told journalists that despite the nomination of Khan Chand and Ismail Gahu in the FIR, the investigation police had not arrested them. The two accused enjoyed patronage of influential people of the area, including an MPA, special assistant to the Sindh chief minister, she said. Ismail Gahu was manager of one of these individuals.
“A former TPO and Ghulam Ali Zardari had picked up Ismail Gahu, but facilitated his escape from the police station,” she alleged.
Though police had arrested some accused, but investigation was not being conducted in a transparent manner, she said. “I have no confidence in the investigation by the Sanghar police.”
She alleged that police and some influential people of the area were threatening her with dire consequences and pressurising here to withdraw the case. “There is great danger to me and my family,” she said.
She appealed to the president, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan to hold a judicial inquiry into her case.
Naila also demanded an action against SP investigation Gul Hassan Larik, investigation officers Akbar Marri, Bahram Shar and Dost Mohammad Shahani.
Meanwhile, she recorded her statement under Section 164 Cr PC before the civil judge and judicial magistrate-II. “I was pushed into a car by a man, who was standing outside my house. I fell unconscious when another man sitting in the car put a handkerchief on my mouth. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the company of six persons in a house. I could only identify one of them as Sanaullah Sheikh, a resident of my locality,” her statement read.
“The five another, who were intoxicated, introduced themselves as Nasir, Khan Chand, Israr, Ismail and Ayub Khoso. They said the house belonged to Ayub Khoso and soon they would allow her to go,” she said. “I kept crying but they did not show any mercy,” she said.