ISLAMABAD: A medical board was set up on Wednesday to examine a 10-year-old child employed as a maid and allegedly beaten and tortured by a sitting judge of the lower courts and his family.

In a letter on Jan 3, SSP Islamabad asked the district magistrate to constitute a medical board to examine the child, officials close to the development said.

In response, the district magistrate wrote to the executive director of Pims – where the child was examined on Dec 29, 2016 – stating that a doctor reported that there were wounds on the victim that had not been seen during the earlier examination.

The SSP asked for a medical board to be formed to ascertain the cause of the wounds, so an investigation could be concluded.

A senior investigation team was also formed to investigate the case of abuse and torture registered with the Industrial Area police.

Officials said the SHO made a request to the SSP operations. The team will be led by an SP, and will include a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) and the Industrial Area SHO.

They said the name of the SP who will lead the team has not been announced, as all the SPs in the capital are reluctant to take part in the investigations and have told their superiors not to select or nominate them to the team.

There is a chance the SP investigation or SP rural will be appointed as the head of the team, even if they are unwilling, they added.

When asked why the board and investigation team was constituted after the victim’s father had reached a settlement with the individuals nominated in the FIR, and an affidavit was submitted in this regard, a police officer said there were contradictions in the victim’s statement as well as her father’s.

“The victim gave her statement in front of a magistrate under CrPC section 164, and it is valuable in the eyes of the judiciary,” he added. He said the victim took four hours to give her statement and was frightened at the time.

“We are doing our job by completing all the legal processes of a case registered with the police,” the police officer said.

“The Supreme Court also took notice, and there was a chance that would call us so the investigators and police had to have something to submit to save their skin.”

Another officer quoted the accused judge’s wife as saying that an elderly woman brought Tayyaba to her two years ago, and she had lived with her since. She said she looked after Tayyaba as her child and did not beat her, and claimed she received the injuries while at the neighbour’s house.

A police source added that the police “have reports of the disappearance of the housemaid on Dec 26”, and her disappearance was reported to Industrial Area police but she later came back home from a neighbour’s house.

The source said the police also have a record of a wireless message aired on police control on the day about the child’s disappearance.

Meanwhile the lawyers community has claimed that a tycoon staged the incident by placing the child at the judge’s house, tortured her and spread the case in the media.

Medical board established

A medical board has been established at Pims to examine Tayyaba, as she was not properly during her first check up, and will hand over a report within 48 hours.

An initial police report when Tayyaba’s case came to light said she had fallen down the stairs and was accidentally burnt. A Pims doctor also said in the report that the child told him she fell accidentally.

On Wednesday, after the chief justice of Pakistan took notice of the case, the district administration wrote to Pims for a medical examination of the child.

According to the district administration’s letter, available with Dawn, the federal police requested a medical board to examine Tayyaba, who was previously examined by Pims on Dec 29.

The letter states that the child was sent to the National Child Protection Centre, and a doctor there reported that Tayyaba had sustained wounds that were not seen during the initial check up.

“The SSP has requested for constitution of Medical Board to ascertain the cause of wounds on the rear side of the victim, so that the investigation of the case can be concluded,” letter states.

“In view of the above and in the interest of natural justice, you are hereby requested to constitute a medical board comprising senior doctors to re-examine the victim Tayaba Bibi and opine the cause of wounds on the rear side of the victim, so that the case may be finalized,” letter says.

Pims administrator Dr Altaf Hussain told Dawn the board has been constituted, and will include burns surgeon Dr Tariq Iqbal, plastic surgeon Dr Hameeduddin, general surgeon Dr S.H. Waqar and psychologist Dr Asma. He said the report will be finalised within 48 hours of Tayyaba being brought to the hospital.

Published in Dawn January 5th, 2017

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