Christian woman allegedly stripped
KARACHI, April 13,2005: Ghazala Shafiq, 39, a Christian woman who is administrator of Brenton Carey Hostel, an institution of the Diocese of the Karachi-Church of Pakistan, was stripped and sexually harassed by a Christian group on April 11 night.
The ghastly incident is believed to be part of a dispute over a church property worth billions of rupees.Speaking at a news conference at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, Ghazala Shafiq alleged that George Bhatti, Zafar Iqbal, Clemintina and others had broken into her office on Monday night, beaten her, stripped her and harassed her sexually. When her staff had tried to rescue her, the attackers had also humiliated them, she added.
She alleged that the attack on her had been carried out on behalf of Bishop Sadiq Daniel and Shah Zar Shamoon. She said deputy superintendent police Raza Shah, Frere Town SHO Khalid Rao and Women’s Police Station SHO Ghazala Rao had provided protection to the culprits and had kept her in confinement for six hours. She said the officials had also refused to lodge an FIR.
Ghazala Shafiq said she had to seek help from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) which had arranged her medico-legal examination at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). She said she had also sought help from the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court the previous day, fearing that the same group would harass her husband and children.
She urged the government, the media and the people in general to provide her with protection. She was in a state of shock while she was speaking to journalists.Talking to Daily Times, her brother, Kaleem Javed, said the ugly incident was part of a dispute over the property of the Church of Pakistan worth billions of rupees although she had nothing to do with it.
Kaleem Bhatti, who is an engineer working for Attock Cement, said her sister was merely an administrator of Brenton Carey Hostel situated at 247-A, Staff Lines, Fatima Jinnah Road in the heart of Karachi, where 124 students were lodged. He said the Church of Pakistan runs the hostel but Bishop Sadiq Daniel allegedly wants to take over the hostel forcibly. He said on April 5 too, an attempt had been made to forcibly occupy the hostel. He alleged that the attack on Brenton Carey Hostel on the night of April 11 had been conducted in connivance with the police.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/13/2005
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