12-year-old girl burnt to death after 'rape' in Ghotki

Shams Bhutto Published March 30, 2015

GHOTKI: A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped and burnt to death In Ghotki district's Daharki city last week. The victim's mother was also severely injured and gained consciousness on Monday.

The victim and her mother stitched and sold sheets for a living and were pursued by three men under the pretense of wanting to purchase their products. The girl was drugged after being offered tea and was allegedly set on fire by the three men after being raped, the victim's 40-year-old mother told DawnNews.

The victim's brother filed a petition at the Ghotki sessions court upon the police's refusal to register the case. The court took notice of the incident and ordered the victim's mother to record her statement on Monday.

FIR registered

The sessions court later ordered the police to lodge a first information report (FIR) of the incident.

Following the order, FIR No. 7/2015 was registered at Khenju police station against three accused persons under sections 302, 324, 376, 511 and 437 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Earlier this month, a 10-year-old boy was allegedly raped and strangled to death in Gujranwala.

Know more: 10-year-old boy allegedly raped, strangled in Gujranwala

Rape is notoriously difficult to prosecute in Pakistan. In April 2011, the Supreme Court had upheld the acquittal of five men sentenced to death in Pakistan's most famous rape case, that of Mukhtar Mai.

Mai was gang raped in 2002 on the orders of a village council as punishment, after her brother, who was aged just 12 at the time, was accused of having illicit relations with a woman from a rival clan.

A local court had sentenced six men to death, but a higher court acquitted five of them in March 2005, and commuted the sentence for the main accused, Abdul Khaliq, to life imprisonment.

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Azmeen

Mar 30, 2015 03:35pm

Such cases should also be registered as terrorist attacks. This is terrorism against women.

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Sohail

Mar 30, 2015 03:38pm

Is there some one in Pakistan who give justice to poor? We are talking to walls.

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Parvez

Mar 30, 2015 03:39pm

Good governance ? .......when all know nothing will happen.

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Mansoor

Mar 30, 2015 03:45pm

Incidents such as these should shake a society. The government must ensure that every effort is made to find out the culprits. Separately, if the relevant SHO did refuse to register FIR then he should be sacked immediately and none other than the IG should apologize personally. We got to end this as a nation.

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Human

Mar 30, 2015 03:54pm

This is so sad :( Why have we become so inhuman...O God please have mercy on us!

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Khuram Nisar

Mar 30, 2015 04:02pm

Shameful... Why still our public votes to same politicians who can't provide justice to common public? Why police is not registering the case? How come justice can be served if police is even reluctant to file FIR?

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irfan farooqui

Mar 30, 2015 04:05pm

All such incident happens due to illiteracy ...

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KIT

Mar 30, 2015 04:10pm

It happens evey now and then due to lack of response by political leaders who don't care about anything or any one.

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HAARP

Mar 30, 2015 04:17pm

Lack of education, unemployment leading to a sick and twisted mentality in the society of so called humans

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Anjum

Mar 30, 2015 04:17pm

Now the EU will condemn this incident?

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Zara

Mar 30, 2015 04:36pm

Just awful. These despicable and revolting men should be caught and made an example out of. R.I.P. little girl and may her mother recovers soon. It is not the fault of the victim and the whole blame and responsibility lies with the criminal. There is no excuse that will ever justify rape.

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Riazand.

Mar 30, 2015 04:45pm

What a shame? Even media has taken a week to publish the heinous crime. Such crimes need to be vigorously pursued by media to take these to logical conclusion.

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Sajjad Razza

Mar 30, 2015 04:49pm

They should be prosecuted in Military courts. I have lost believe in conventional prosecution system.

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Omar

Mar 30, 2015 04:49pm

People who commit such heinous crimes should be tried in a terrorist court. Their pictures published in national newspapers along with which family they belong to.

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jehanzaib

Mar 30, 2015 05:18pm

it is a heinous and unforgivable sin, they should be prosecuted in all available fair means and punish them to set an example to save our children.

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durrani

Mar 30, 2015 05:27pm

there is no law for poor person.

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lkhan

Mar 30, 2015 05:28pm

Absolutely sickening. @Anjum, forget what the EU will denounce, all decent Pakistanis should stand up for the rights of their women. Repeat sickening to the stomach.

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Tom

Mar 30, 2015 05:47pm

@Anjum All good people in the world, not just in the EU, will e horrified by this incident and condemn the perpetrators.

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SAQ

Mar 30, 2015 06:09pm

@Omar 100% agree. These black sheeps are stigma to our nation.

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Veer

Mar 30, 2015 06:36pm

this is disgusting.. Hope the little girl soul rest in peace..

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rana1

Mar 30, 2015 06:52pm

At least in India such news can now prompt the public to demonstrate and ensure action. Pakistanis need to take a leave from their neighbours that if the law will not take action,then the public will.

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adil jadoon

Mar 30, 2015 07:14pm

Where is the body, who are the accused, why did the police not register a case.

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Sandeep Singh

Mar 30, 2015 07:18pm

So much of hue & cry for India's daughter but Is the world ignoring "Daughters" of their own country. Think again.

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Avtar

Mar 30, 2015 07:18pm

This is an area the whole subcontinent can get together to raise public awareness and perhaps "shame" men and the police for not taking "effective" action.

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Shakeel

Mar 30, 2015 08:11pm

@irfan farooqui - No they happen because lack of humanity.

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Kaiser Afridi

Mar 30, 2015 08:33pm

@Anjum We all condemn this heinous crime. The perpetrators should be tried and hanged. I hope not only the EU but even the UN strongly condemns this incident. This seems to be the only way to get justice in our country.

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Mian Amir Hakim

Mar 30, 2015 08:35pm

If my wish comes true. May the honorable Superime Court take notice as to why the police did not register the case In the first incident. Such investigation and subsequent punishment of the responsible will help deter such attitude. In almost all such cases the police is said to refuse the case till pressurized either by media or courts of law.

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FutureWizard

Mar 30, 2015 08:38pm

@Sandeep Singh Sandeep, I'm an Indian, and let's not start scoring against each other here. A 12 year old child is same everywhere, and we have to protect kids from this type of violence everywhere.

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maverick

Mar 30, 2015 08:42pm

Pakistani Courts must make an example of these psyco rapist and killers in order to ensure criminals to think twice before doing such acts. May Allah bless the baby girl and give her jannah. Feel so sorry, what was her fault.

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Sanjoy Sankar Guha

Mar 30, 2015 08:59pm

Just imagine the plight of the mother. The gutter-filled misery of a penurious life, compounded by an unspeakable tragedy happening to an innocent whom she loves with all her heart . And that society before whom she cowers and which should be her source of redressal only a little more than indifferent. What monsters human beings have become. The same things keep happening in India.

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Shahryar Shirazi

Mar 30, 2015 09:17pm

@Sandeep Singh Lets not make it into an India vs Pakistan thing. Its sad we in our part of the world are acting like animals against women.

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CYRUS

Mar 30, 2015 09:27pm

@KIT What will be your response?

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sadia zafar

Mar 30, 2015 09:29pm

When will we learn to call a spade a spade. Do not put this on lack of education and ignorance, rape exists in all societies. However, how it is punished influences its prevalence rates. Unfortunately our current laws, e.g. Hudood ordinance and Qisas and Dayat laws make a mockery of human rights and allow violence against, and abuse of all citizens including women. Recent examples Shahzaib case, Raymond Davis case etc etc etc.

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CYRUS

Mar 30, 2015 09:38pm

@Omar The police protecting them should be prosecuted and fired from their jobs, or many similar events will continue to happen.

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Zunaira

Mar 30, 2015 09:59pm

We people are no more humans.

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kalim

Mar 30, 2015 10:10pm

The involved in this inhuman act deserved to be hanged or not? Why Human rights organization force Pakistan to ban on hanging?

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Sandeep Singh

Mar 30, 2015 10:12pm

@maverick Rape is notoriously difficult to prosecute in Pakistan. In April 2011, the Supreme Court had upheld the acquittal of five men sentenced to death in Pakistan's most famous rape case, that of Mukhtar Mai.

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pak_wellwisher

Mar 30, 2015 10:13pm

The police officer should get ten years not to register the FIR.

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M.Saeed

Mar 30, 2015 10:16pm

@Khuram Nisar : By refusing to register case, Police has become a party to the crime. How can the Police register a case against its own self?

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lkhan

Mar 30, 2015 10:30pm

@FutureWizard Sandeep, you are so right, a child is a child where ever. Crimes against children should have no place/tolerance in civil society, whether rape, brutal killings or child labour...

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Mar 30, 2015 10:51pm

Sick People

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Zubair

Mar 31, 2015 12:40am

What kind of brutality and Zulm it is and how come it be rooted out.

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Rashid

Mar 31, 2015 12:49am

So shame that these men are still out there!! If SHO of that area does not catch such criminals within reasonable amount, he should be sacked and DIG/IG need to take notice and actions. Police with big badges need to take action right away!! MNA and MPA of the area need to keep public up to date regarding this incident and the progress police/authorities are making. I think this is the least authorities should do. As a public, we need to put pressure on all the above authorities, police/MNA/MPA to take action to bring justice ...

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Daddy

Mar 31, 2015 01:38am

we will all pay for such injustice... !

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Harmony

Mar 31, 2015 01:46am

This is such a horror but leaders remain unconcerned with toothless laws! When will they learn?

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a girl

Mar 31, 2015 01:52am

its just because of lack of concern of our great leaders towards their obligations .. such thing won't happen again if they take serious step on each n every incident which happens to people.

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Mar 31, 2015 01:58am

How can a police department refuse to FIR, it is the basic right of an individual ? They should be severely punished for this. This is one of the reason the crime rate is going higher and brutal everyday. Did the police in charge intentionally, or he was ignorant of the law. If he was ignorant of the law, then he should not have been a policeman and still be punished along with his superiors. If done intentionally then he should be severely punished. Lets see how the police chief IG and the judiciary take this up.

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Ramesh Kumar

Mar 31, 2015 02:18am

Shameful act..!!! Even they don't care about humanity. . May God bless our country. .

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KeyPoints

Mar 31, 2015 03:10am

If police departments perform their duties honestly and efficiency, criminals would think twice before committing crimes. Unfortunately, there is so much corruption all over, and police departments politicized, many police officers eager to please politicians, that criminals are getting braver, because they know what kind of character moany of these police officers have. For poor victims, getting coirrect FIR is a problem to start with, next if police is willing to collect proper evidence for court, for conviction of criminals. Unless police system is reformed, its hard to expect justice in the society.

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Joe FL

Mar 31, 2015 04:54am

@Veer: "this is disgusting.. Hope the little girl soul rest in peace.." So true. But it would be better if people would rise up to demand that such atrocities do not happen in the first place. Try working for a child's life, rather than a soul after death. One keeps hoping that Pakistan's public -- not just the rich and privileged -- will come to be a community of freedom and opportunity. When will it happen?

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Irshad Khan

Mar 31, 2015 04:55am

S.P , D.S.P and SHO should be dismissed immediately who refused to register the case against the criminals who raped and murdered this little girl.

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Iqbal Malik

Mar 31, 2015 06:24am

Did curt inquire why police was not registering the case?. if the court has not inquired than the judge should be terminated. These guys have made the country and justice system a joke.

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