Sodomy victim seeks treatment, justice | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Sodomy victim seeks treatment, justice

MULTAN, June 4: A seven-year-old child, who was sodomised by two brothers some 10 days back, is facing complications on account of not being allowed treatment facility at private and state-run hospitals by the accused, who are in cahoots with the police.

Reports said that Nasir Hussain of Mehndipur, Multan district, was allegedly sodomized by Tariq Ali, owner of a video games shop, on May 26. The accused took the boy to his house where Tariq and his brother Nasir Hussain sodomised the child. Later, both the accused escaped when the child became unconscious following bleeding.

Heirs took the child to the Muzaffarabad police station, but they refused to issue the docket for the medical examination. The Nishtar Hospital administration also refused to conduct the medical examination without the police docket.

On the intervention of elites of the area, the police lodged an FIR and issued the docket. The FIR, reportedly registered under section 377 PPC in the absence of the complainant, only nominated Shaukat Ali as accused.

Dr Ghulam Shabbir Qaisrani, senior medical officer of Sher Shah Rural Health Center, conducted the medical examination in his private clinic without any lawful authority. Favouring the accused, the doctor declared the child abnormal and a catamite.

Prince Rehan advocate, counsel for the child, said how a child, whose bleeding could not stop even after a week, could be a catamite. He claimed that a seven-year-old child could hardly be the catamite.

He said the police had released accused Tariq Ali only after three days while the other accused was still at large. To give favour to the accused, he said the police had registered a case under section 377 PPC instead of section 12/7/79. The police also delayed in issuing the docket.

Mr Rehan said the child needed the psychological treatment as well. Unawareness about laws and non-cooperative attitude of the people were the main causes that the hospitals were not ready to provide treatment to the child.

Investigation officer Chaudhry Mushtaq said that police would soon arrest the accused. He said the case had been registered on the written application of the complainant who nominated only one accused.

Mr Mushtaq said the doctor had conducted the medical examination honestly. He said the section 377 PPC would benefit the complainant.

The IO said the mother of child had died and the woman looking after him told his name Nasir Hussain. However, the child and his relatives told the name Mohsin.

He said the complainant was asked to mention the child’s actual name to avoid any controversy in the future, but his non-cooperative attitude was creating problems for the police.

He claimed that the child was nine-year-old and that he was a catamite.

Dr Ghulam Shabbir Qaisrani was not available to offer his comments.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/5/2007