KARACHI, May 4: At least five cases of rape or gang-rape have been registered against the members of the law-enforcement agencies in the city since 1998, according to the data collected by War Against Rape — a non-governmental organization providing relief to the rape victims.
A WAR spokesperson said in all these incidents though the FIRs were registered and cases were sent to courts, the victims backed out after some time owing to which the accused could not get punishment.
Suspecting some pressure on victims and their families, who are poor and vulnerable to threats from influentials, the WAR spokesperson, Amanullah, urged the authorities to provide safety to victims and their families.
He referred to two recent rape incidents — Aladdin Park rape and the Ramaswamy gang-rape — and said the families needed protection.
He said when a victim or a party and their advocate do not appear in the court for a few hearings, the matter is usually dismissed and the benefit goes to the accused.
Citing an example of 1998 Sharea Faisal rape case, he said a three-year-old girl was sodomised by Zafar, a naval official in Naval Colony opposite Dalmia Cement Factory. The parents of the girl informed the naval police, but no action was taken for over a week so the parents reported the matter to Sharea Faisal Police Station and FIR No 244/98 was registered on Jan 12, 1998, under section 10 (2) and medical examination was carried out at Civil Hospital confirming sodomy.
The case was sent to the court where after a few months the father of the victim informed the WAR that they had decided to shift to Peshawar and do not want to pursue the case. So the matter ended, said Amanullah.
He said in another incident, Nazeer and his two accomplices, all of them police constables, picked up a girl near a police kiosk in Zaman Town police and attempted to rape her, but could not succeed as she raised hue and cry and people gathered and caught Nazeer, while others escaped.
An FIR No 145/98 (dated Sept 29, 1998) was registered in the Zaman Town Police Station under section 343, 354, 34 and case was sent to the court. After some time, the girl informed the WAR that she and her family did not want to follow up the matter. So the matter ended, said Amanullah.
He said in another incident, a Sub-Inspector Zakaullah Niazi and his accomplices raped an 18-year-old girl. The matter was reported and FIR No 57/99 was registered under section 376, 323, 342 and 16 of Zina/Hudood Ordinance, in Zaman Town Police Station on Feb 12, 1999.
Amanullah said soon after the incident, the family became untraceable and he could only meet them once when the family was brought in a police mobile to the police station, after that the WAR tried to meet the family many a times but the family could not be located. So the case ended, he said.
He said similarly a three-year-old girl, daughter of an armyman, was raped by a soldier, Nasir, in Malir Cantonment. The medical examination of the toddler confirmed sodomy and she was also hospitalised for a few days. The matter was reported to the military police which did not take any action for many days. Then the matter was reported to Khokhrapar Police Station and the FIR No 5/99 was registered under section 10 (2) on Feb 1, 1999.
The accused was arrested and case was sent to the court, and according to the WAR representative, after a few days, the army came to the police station took the accused and all case papers with them to the cantonment, after which there was no news despite serious efforts made by the WAR.
He said in another incident, a girl who had gone to Aladdin Park with her friend was raped by the park administrator, Zamir Siddiqui, a retired army official and now a senior government employee. Incident was reported and an FIR No 403/2001 was registered in Gulistan-i-Jauhar Police Station under section 10 (3) on Dec 9, 2001. He said the victim came to the court for a few times, but now for some time, she had remained absent, and if she did not come to the court regularly, the case would be dismissed after some time.
He said similarly the Ramaswamy gang-rape victims and their family had also reportedly said that they were being “asked” to shift to some other place, but they had refused.
He said the state should ensure that the victim and their family was not further victimized.
He said though an FIR had been registered against the culprits, all of whom were either policemen, their friends or sons of police officials, but the main accused had not been arrested yet, which makes the victims and the family even more insecure.
He said the state should ensure that victims were provided full protection and the accused, usually comparatively more influential and powerful, were not able to influence the victims and their families and that the law took its due course.
