Domestic violence victim seeks justice
TAXILA, June 5: A victim of domestic violence and torture on Thursday sought justice, safety for her life as well as her parents as her in-laws are hurling death threats at all of them.
She called upon Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, adviser to Prime Minister Rehman Malik as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations to assist her in getting justice as the police officials were allegedly supporting the culprits and hiding the facts.
Saiqa Shoukat, 19, mother of three, flanked by her father Malik Shoukat and mother Sajida Bibi told Dawn that she was married to Mehmood Dar, a driver by profession, four years back.
In October 2007 she developed some differences with her husband and in-laws over some money and she came to her parents house.
However the dispute was settled with the interference of local elders.
She said that last Friday her husband Mehmood Dar with the assistance of his brother Adeel Dar, sister Nisbah and father Ghulam Fareed tight her hands with rope and shaved off her head and eye-brows and subjected her to physical torture.
Later she succeeded in informing her father who with the assistance of Police raided the house and recovered her from ‘illegal confinement’.
But ironically, police while lodging FIR have not mentioned her statement properly as well as police raid at the house of the culprit and her recovery. Moreover, police have not presented her before the lady medico-legal officer to determine the severity of torture.
She alleged that the investigation staff had manipulated the case, as the FIR was not registered under relevant sections of Pakistan Criminal Panel Code (CrPc) and booked the culprits under bailable sections of 354 and 355.
That is why the local court bailed them out on first hearing.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/6/2008
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