NCHR asks police to protect ‘honour-violence’ survivor
ISLAMABAD: National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) Chairman retired Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan on Tuesday concluded an attempted honour killing case after the Nilore police concluded that all relevant sections of the PPC were included in the FIR.
The police have been directed to provide protection to the victim as there is risk of her being attacked again and the family has been asked if the NCHR can be the complainant in the FIR.
A local social activist, Shahla Rafi expressed concern that though the family may not object to police protection, it will not allow the NCHR to a complainant in the case.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on June 14 drew the NCHR’s attention towards an attempted honour killing case in the federal capital.
The HRCP’s letter to the NCHR says that on June 9 a girl of either 16 or 17 years of age was shot three times allegedly by her cousin in the Nilore Village. It says that seven months ago, the girl’s father, who belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and had settled in Nilore, decided to marry her off to a man much older than her. However, the girl left her home with a local boy.
The couple were caught a few days later at Khanna Pul and brought back home. The girl was beaten and locked up inside her house. On June 9, the letter says, the girl was reading the Quran when her cousin shot her and fled. Her father lodged an FIR with the Nilore police the same day but the accused could not be arrested.
The girl was operated on on June 15 and a bullet was removed from her throat. She was discharged from the hospital a fortnight later and on Monday, July 17 she was brought to Pims again because of an infection in her wounds.
According to a statement issued by the NCHR on Tuesday, Mr Chowhan heard the attempted honour killing case at the NCHR Head Office along with member Balochistan.
NCHR conducted several hearings and concluded the case when the investigation officer said all relevant provisions of the PPC including section 324 (attempt to murder) are added as offences against all the accused persons as per the directions of the NCHR.
According to the advocate for the complainant, Basharat Qadir, there was a threat to her life. So the NCHR chairman directed the Nilore police to make proper arrangements for her protection and also send a detailed report on the aspect of security to the NCHR, the statement concludes.
Talking to Dawn, Shahla Rafi said the police are yet to arrest a suspect, a month after the incident.
“The girl told me she was fine with the NCHR becoming a complainant to avoid the chances of a patch-up between the families. I later talked to her father and he agreed to police protection but not to the NCHR becoming complainant,” she said.
She said the family may want to patch-up with the accused’s family and that the victim had been discharged from Pims even though she had suggested the victim be kept in the hospital in case she develops an infection due to the humid weather.
“My concerns proved correct as the victim developed an infection and on Monday, she was again brought to the hospital. However, the Pims staff once again discharged her after giving her medicines,” she said.
Chairman Union Council 7 (Pind Begwal) Raja Qaiser Ghaffar, whose constituency is adjacent to Nilore, told Dawn he also had concerns that the family wanted to patch up with the family of the accused.
“That is the reason he has not been arrested yet and the family does not want the NCHR to become the wali in the case,” he said.
” 
” 
” 
” 
