November 30, 2003	Sunday	Shawwal 5, 1424

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MIANWALI, Nov 29: The Khattaks of Kalabagh have given the Sardar of Kot Chandan camp’s Afghan refugees an ultimatum: the Afghans must surrender to them within two days the people who allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl the other day.

The ultimatum was given at a meeting of the Khattak tribe here on Saturday. The Pushto-speaking tribe also held a demonstration on the occasion, chanted slogans against the Afghan refugees and called for their early return to Afghanistan as well as arrest of the rapists.

According to police, Gul Sherina (12) and her aunts Talseem Jan (55) and Nur Jan (50) of the Chughlan village (Katch Tunder Khel) situated close to the refugee camp, were collecting firewood and fodder on the hills, when five Afghans carrying Kalashnikovs appeared on the scene, beat up the older women and took away the girl to a place in the mountains.

The girl was released later on. The three women were shifted to the Kalabagh THQ Hospital, where a lady doctor confirmed that the girl had been gang-raped.

The Kalabagh police have registered a case without identifying the accused. According to the victims, however, the rapists belonged to members of the Qandhari tribe living on the camp.

Provincial Minister for Revenue Gul Hameed Khan Rokhri and PML-Q MPA Amanatullah Khan Shadikhel assured the demonstrators that the culprits would be arrested at the earliest. They also met Gul Sherina and their aunts in the hospital and advised doctors to treat them and provide them medicines free of cost besides making security arrangements for them.