July 6, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 24,1423

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MULTAN, July 5: Alleged perpetrators, who ‘disgraced’ a woman in Khairpur Tamewali area of Bahawalpur on June 30 last, are reportedly harassing the victim to withdraw the case.

Dawn learnt on Friday the girl married to one Rab Nawaz Baloch some seven years ago. A few years later, her husband contracted a second marriage and the woman started living with her parents in Kot Korra village.

On June 30, the woman and her mother were at their relative Allah Bakhsh’s house in Chak 25 when their five relatives Ajmal, Khadim, Maqbool, Falaksher and Manzoor Khan shouted from outside and called the woman and her mother.

The five people forcibly took them to landlord Ahmad Nawaz’s dera near Bahawal Canal, allegedly stripped them and shaved off the woman’s head.

The victim told journalists that her father Ghulam Qadir had refused a proposal from the accused for her sister and that annoyed them.

On July 1, Khairpur Tamewali police registered a case on the victim’s report, arrested all the accused the same day and sought their physical remand from a local civil court. However, the judge turned down the police request and granted bail to the accused the same day.

The victim alleged the police had not recorded her statement and provided the accused an opportunity for early release.

When contacted, an official of Khairpur Tamewali police station said the accused suspected the character of the complainant and shaved off her head out of ‘sense of honour.’ However, he contradicted the victim and her mother were stripped.

“Although, the woman was of doubtful character, the police did not waste any time to register a case on her complaint,” the police official said.

Meanwhile, residents of the locality told this correspondent that the accused now visited the victim’s house daily to press her to stop pursuing the case.