Gender violence translates into despicable crimes in Rawalpindi
By Imran Asghar
RAWALPINDI: Violence against women goes unnoticed and unchecked in Rawalpindi exposing the fact that performance of government and non-government organisations in this sector is below expectation.
Police record of first six and a half months of this year shows that 10-15 women have been honour-killed; 14 girls and women raped; two have become victims of acid throwing, one of whom died of burns; over 15 physically tortured and over 70 kidnapped.
It is soothing that the number of cases of violence against women remains less this year than the year before.
Honour killing: In the worst honour killing case, a woman and her aunt were killed in full view of a Jirga in the limits of Westridge Police Station.
Mubarrak Shah told police that he organised a Jirga to get his daughter Behmina divorced when her husband, along with four accomplices, opened indiscriminate fire on the participants, killing Behmina and her aunt Hakim Jan on the spot. Three more people were killed in the incident also. The police are still investigating the case.
On July 2, two women named Sadiq Jan and Rasheeda were killed in a Jirga that sat to resolve a domestic dispute between two wives of a man.
Rape: Fourteen girls and women have been raped so far this year. In a shocking case, a man reported to Sadiqabad Police Station that his son-in-law had raped his daughter.
A woman of Gulzar-e-Quaid told Airport Police Station that her neighbour Sajjad and his aunt stormed into her house and raped her at gunpoint.
Burnt to death: RA Bazaar police was reported that Razia Malik, of Dhok Syedian, got divorce from her second husband Waseem Riaz in January. As a result, Riaz poured flammable lubricants on her while she was asleep in her house and burnt her alive.
Acid throwing: A 22-year-old woman was murdered by her in-laws in the limits of Saddar Barroni Police Station, over a trivial issue. Victim Saba recorded her statement with police before she died. She stated that her husband and his mother Azizun Nisa beat her black and blue because her family was not ready to marry her younger sister with her husband’s younger brother.
She said when she collapsed of torture and sought water, her husband poured acid in her mouth. She breathed her last at Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital in March.
The second acid victims survived the attack but much of her body has been burnt. RA Bazaar police were reported that Asif threw acid on Gulnaz Bibi, 27, over a trivial dispute and fled away. The acid burnt her face, eyes, backside, sensitive body parts and arms but she survived.
Physical torture: In the limits of Gangmandi Police Station on May 19, Zafar kicked his three months pregnant wife Shahida Butt so badly that she miscarried.
In the limits of Sadiqabad Police Station, a man attempted to chop off limbs of his 20-year-old daughter and his son-in-law over a domestic dispute. He failed in his attempt but left the victims severely injured.
Pregnant woman killed: In the limits of Westridge Police Station, unidentified attackers killed an eight months pregnant woman and threw her body in a deserted place on Halli Road.
Kidnappings: Around 70 girls and women were kidnapped this year. A police official gives out a typical explanation station most girls ran away with their lovers but their parents lodge kidnapping cases.
Source: Daily Times
Date:7/20/2009
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