PAKISTAN: THE PLIGHT OF A YOUNG GIRL WHO WAS GANG RAPED BY POLICE AND RANGER OFFICIALS

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young girl continues to suffer after she was gang raped by the officials from the Pakistan Rangers and police. The authorities are pressuring her and her family members to compromise with the perpetrators. Her house was attacked with firearms and the henchmen of the perpetrators let it be known that they can blow up the house at will. The police have instigated the neighborhood to hoot at her for having been raped and make rude signs. She tried two times to commit suicide. Her cousin was beaten and seriously injured by the perpetrators to press for settlement with the rapists.

The rape victim and her family are confined inside the house because of their neighbour's adverse reaction against her.

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From: AHRC Urgent Appeals <listadmin@ahrchk.net>

Date: Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 4:50 AM

Subject: PAKISTAN: The plight of a young girl who was gang raped by police and officials of the Rangers

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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-133-2012

20 July 2012

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PAKISTAN: The plight of a young girl who was gang raped by police and officials of the Rangers

ISSUES: Rape, violence against women, impunity, misuse of power

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CASE NARRATIVE:

Miss Nadia Rasool (18), daughter of Ghulam Rasool, resident of Village Ghang District Sheikhupura, Punjab province, a student of inter commerce (grade 11) was raped. On March 18, 2012, at 4:45 pm when she was on way back to her home in village Ghang, a group of five criminals, including two policemen, a government employee and a sepoy of the Pakistan rangers abducted her in a van. She was taken to a deserted place, gang raped and thrown away on the road in the late evening. When she told of her ordeal to her family, instead of consoling her, they reprimanded her. It was difficult for her to survive and she tried to commit suicide twice, but was saved by her mother.

A police case was registered at City Police Station-B Division Sheikhupura and the perpetrators were arrested after the Suo Moto notice by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on March 27, 2012. But two of the perpetrators were released from a lower court on bail by and were later re-arrested by a session court when civil society filed the case. The case is now with the court of additional session judge, Sheikhupura, Jazeela Aslam. The poor family of this girl is under immense pressure from the police and local influential people to withdraw the case and accept compensation. They are constantly receiving life threats from the accused.

She was re-victimized not only by the society but also by the police officials’ insensitive attitude while handling such cases. In the last week of April, Police officials took her from Sheikhupura to Lahore (70 Km away) for DNA tests along with three of the rapists in the same vehicle; and there was no female constable with them during the journey and the medical test in the hospital. Clubbing the victim together with the perpetrators during traveling was meant to place immense psychological pressure on her. However, with the support of local civil society and women rights activists; the social and political pressure is being resisted so far.

Since then Nadia is struggling to return to a normal life and her family is facing immense social and financial problems. The entire family is completely shattered. Her father, Ghulam Rasool, a factory worker and sole bread earner of the family has lost his job after three months and later could only get a job as a daily wage earner. During the period of his unemployment the younger brother of the rape victim, Master Imran (16), sold himself to a dairy farm owner for Rs 50,000 (USD 540) where he is working 24 hours a day. He is given half an hour each for lunch and dinner at his house. Her cousin brother was beaten by the henchmen of the perpetrators to compel them to accept the settlement. He received eight stitches in his eye brows and two fingers of his right hand were fractured. He was kept bound in ropes for many hours at the place of Chaudry’s dera. He was released when his mother with the police reached the place. But the police have not taken any action against Chaudry for keeping him in illegal detention and injuring him.

Nadia, once a shining student of first year is unable to continue her studies and restrained within the four walls of the house. Highly frustrated, she does not know how to subsist her family, how to restart her studies and contest her case in the court. She desperately needs financial support. She could not appear before the annual examination which was held in the month of June and it has become difficult for her to continue her education. The police of the area and the perpetrators have created such an environment against her that she could not go outside the house. Her younger sister who worked as a maid to earn some money also had to leave her job and school as gangsters of the perpetrators pressured the employers and school teachers that as her sister was gang raped she has become a filthy woman. Nadia says that “I want justice and will pursue my case. I wish to continue my education. I have to leave my village now due to the constant threats from the accused parties and social pressure from relatives and neighbors.”

On the instructions of the Inspector General of Police, the local authorities have provided her police guards outside her residence but they are also pressuring the family members to enter into a settlement with the perpetrators as they are powerful people and no one can fight with police and rangers. But she and her family are determined to fight for justice despite the provincial government being very indifferent on her efforts to get justice.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the authorities calling for providing protection to the rape victim and her family members and urge them to punish the local police and Rangers for pressuring her for settlement with the perpetrators. Please urge the authorities to provide respectable empolyment for her father and brothers. The better option for the government is to shift her and her family members from the village and settle them in a better place where the perpetrators cannot have access.

The AHRC writes a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences into this matter.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ___________,

PAKISTAN: The plight of a young girl who was gang raped by police and officials of the Rangers

Name of victim:

Nadia Rasool d/o Ghulam Rasool r/o Village Ghang District Sheikhupura Pakistan

Names of alleged perpetrators:

Police Constable Saqib Ali son of Zulfiqar Ali from Muhafiz Police, resident Dera Khursheed Sheikhupura, Punjab province

Police Constable Naveed Khan son of Israfeel Khan, from Muhafiz Police, resident Behari Colony Sheikhupura, Punjab province

Irfan son of Mushtaq Pakistan Rangers, resident Dera Khursheed Sheikhupura, Punjab province Khursheed son of Barkat Maseeh resident Gloria Colony Sheikhupura , Punjab province

Jamil son of Ashraf Maseeh –Public servant at the Deputy Commissioner office-Sheikhupura , Punjab province

Date of incident: March 18, 2012.

Place of incident: Village Ghang, Shekhupua, Punjab province

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the gang rape of an 18-year-old girl who was raped by two police officials, one man from the Rangers and a government employee. The perpetrators, their henchmen and police are pressuring her and her family members to make a settlement with the perpetrators. The provincial government is silent and because of this they are helping the perpetrators to get away with their crime.

I have learned that Miss Nadia Rasool (18), daughter of Ghulam Rasool, resident of Village Ghang District Sheikhupura, Punjab province, a student of inter commerce (grade 11) was raped. On March 18, 2012, at 4:45 pm when she was on way back to her home in village Ghang, a group of five criminals, including two policemen, a government employee and a sepoy of the Pakistan rangers abducted her in a van. She was taken to a deserted place, gang raped and thrown away on the road in the late evening. When she told of her ordeal to her family, instead of consoling her, they reprimanded her. It was difficult for her to survive and she tried to commit suicide twice, but was saved by her mother.

She was able to register a case at City Police Station-B Division Sheikhupura and the perpetrators were arrested after the Suo Moto notice by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on March 27, 2012. But two of the perpetrators were released from a lower court on bail by and were later re-arrested by a session court when civil society filed the case. The case is now with the court of additional session judge, Sheikhupura, Jazeela Aslam. The poor family of this girl is under immense pressure from the police and local influential people to withdraw the case and accept compensation. They are constantly receiving life threats from the accused.

Her house was attacked with firearms for almost 45 minutes and the henchmen of the perpetrators let it be known that they can blow up the house at will. In addition to this, the police have instigated the neighborhood to hoot at her for having been raped and make rude signs. She tried two times to commit suicide. Her cousin was beaten and seriously injured by the perpetrators to press for settlement with the rapists.

I am appalled that the girl was re-victimized not only by the society but also by the police officials’ insensitive attitude while handling such cases. In the last week of April, Police officials took her from Sheikhupura to Lahore (70 Km away) for DNA tests along with three of the rapists in the same vehicle; and there was no female constable with them during the journey and the medical test in the hospital. Clubbing the victim together with the perpetrators during traveling was meant to place immense psychological pressure on her. However, with the support of local civil society and women rights activists; the social and political pressure is being resisted so far.

It is very sad that Nadia, once a shining student of first year is unable to continue her studies and restrained within the four walls of the house. Highly frustrated, she does not know how to subsist her family, how to restart her studies and contest her case in the court. She desperately needs financial support. She could not appear before the annual examination which was held in the month of June and it has become difficult for her to continue her education. The police of the area and the perpetrators have created such an environment against her that she could not go outside the house. Her younger sister who worked as a maid to earn some money also had to leave her job and school as gangsters of the perpetrators pressured the employers and school teachers that as her sister was gang raped she has become a filthy woman. Nadia says that “I want justice and will pursue my case. I wish to continue my education. I have to leave my village now due to the constant threats from the accused parties and social pressure from relatives and neighbors.”

On the instructions of the Inspector General of Police the local authorities have provided her police guards outside her residence but they are also pressuring the family members to enter into a settlement with the perpetrators as they are powerful people and no one can fight with police and rangers. But she and her family are determined to fight for justice despite the provincial government being very indifferent on her efforts to get justice.

I urge you to write to the authorities listed to ensure justice for this poor victim and her family. Please provide protection to the rape victim and her family members and also punish the local police and Rangers for pressuring her for settlement with the perpetrators. Please also provide respectable employment for her father and brothers. The better option for the government is to shift her and her family members from the village and resettle them in a better place where the perpetrators cannot have access to them.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari

President of Pakistan

President's Secretariat

Islamabad

PAKISTAN

Tel: +92-51-9204801-9214171

Fax +92-51-9207458

Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk

2. Mr. Raja Pervez Ashraf