KARACHI, Feb 4: The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a Hong Kong-based rights group has urged President General Pervez Musharraf and the government to take action against those involved in the gang-rape of a teenaged girl, who was also stripped of her clothes and paraded in the streets of a locality in Ghotki district recently.

The group appealed to them to ensure immediate registration of an FIR with particular mention of gang-rape and abduction charges against the culprits, besides holding of a proper and fair investigation into the incident.

“All the alleged perpetrators should be arrested without further delay and tried,” it said, referring to the newly enacted law on protection of women rights.

It also called for a federal inquiry into the alleged police inaction and use of influence by some bigwigs in the provincial government with the aim of hushing up the case.

“The proper disciplinary and legal action should be taken against the responsible police officers and the influential government officials if these allegations are proven true,” it said, adding that effective protection should urgently be provided to the victim and her family against further intimidation and threats from the culprits.

The group said that the victim should also be compensated suitably by the government.

It said the Ghotki incident would be a test case that would determine how much the government was sincere vis-a-vis its claim of having legislated the women protection law to rid the womenfolk of violence, discrimination and injustice.