July 11, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 25, 1428

RAWALPINDI, July 10: Hearing in a rape case was deferred for seven days by Additional District and Sessions Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed Khan, as no under-trail prisoner was produced in courts due to the extraordinary circumstances arising out of the Lal Masjid operation on Tuesday.

The verdict in the case was expected on Tuesday but the accused could not be brought to the court by the police and the hearing was put off to July 17.

Abida Yasmin, 25, who worked in an education consultancy office in Saddar, was kidnapped by four persons from Bank Road on July 11, 2005. She was driven in a car to an under-construction house in Gulrez and raped by the culprits.

After her release, the victim reported to the police that one Iqbal along with three unknown persons had raped her and deprived her of her belongings and money. Police registered the case after two days following the intervention of some NGOs. Later, the woman nominated three persons - Rafaqat, a friend of Iqbal; Riaz who drove the car and Asjad Nawaz, the watchman of the house.

In the beginning, the police declared Riaz innocent and accepted the alibi plea of Rafaqat, who claimed that he was in a Peshawar hospital on the day of the crime. Abida also filed a private complaint with the district and sessions judge.

During the trial, Iqbal helped the police recover the ornaments of the woman from the house where the crime was committed. He also told the investigators that an undeveloped camera film roll containing nude pictures of the girl was present in the house. The police developed the roll and found 25 naked photographs of the woman with the accused.

Rafaqat failed to provide any evidence in the court about his absence and was declared absconder after he did not turn up in the court following his bail. The lady medical officer who examined the woman also confirmed that she was raped.