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| September 7, 2002 | Saturday | Jamadi-us-Saani28,1423 |
Torture victim seeks justice from president
ISLAMABAD, Sept 6: Safiun Nissa, a 40-year-old widow and a mother of seven, who had been subjected to intense torture by her brother-in-law, has appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to get her justice since police were allegedly providing shelter to the accused.
Ms Nissa, who had been displaced from her own house and was still receiving threats, also asked Interior Minister Lt-Gen Moinunddin Haider (retired), Rawalpindi corps commander, authorities concerned and the civil right organizations to raise voice in her favour so that the accused could get exemplary punishment.
She made these appeals while talking to a group of reporters here on Friday. She said her brother-in-law, Noor Mohammad, forcibly entered her residence on August 14 and tortured her for five hours.
According to the FIR registered by Basal police on August 18, the accused thrashed her with a stick and subjected her sensitive parts to severe beating. When she become unconscious, he left the house after locking her inside a room.
The police had registered the case under section 354 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The law states: “Whoever assaults or uses criminal force against any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine or both.”
Ms Nissa, a resident of Mouza Pind Sultani, Tehsil Jand, said the accused did not allow her to leave her room for four days. She said he was arrested on September 2, 2002, and the very next day, the civil judge, Jand, accepted his bail.
She alleged that the police deliberately registered a weak case, because their palms were greased. That was the reason the accused got bailed the very next day after his arrest.
Malik Abdul Khan, a Lambardar of the area, said the reason of enmity between Ms Nissa and Noor Mohammad was the wedding of her daughter, Azra Bibi.
According to Mr Khan and Ms Nissa, the accused had been opposing the wedding proposal for the last one year, since he and the groom’s family were not on talking terms. After the marriage, he even registered a case of kidnapping against the groom, but Ms Nissa settled the matter by approaching the High Court.
Mr Khan said from August 18 to 27, Ms Nissa remained admitted to the District Hospital, Attock, and was now being taken care of by the Progressive Women Association (PWA).
The torture victim said after August 18, she had still not returned to her house, because her brother-in-law had threatened to kill her if she did so.
Meanwhile, a PWA representative vowed to provide free legal aid to Ms Nissa.
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