'Faith healer' accused of raping two women in Rahim Yar Khan

E-Paper | May 03, 2026

A 'faith healer' allegedly raped two women in Getha Bathha Town near Rahim Yar Khan, police said.

Faqir Hussain, a resident of Jetha Bathha, filed a report Monday at the Saddar Police Station stating that his daughter and daughter-in-law were raped by Bilal Shah, the 'faith healer', almost two weeks ago, Station House Officer (SHO) Saddar Khanpur Abbas Akhtar told Dawn.

Hussain added his daughter and daughter-in-law routinely visited Shah to get amulets, the SHO added.

He said that, returning from one such visit 15 days ago, his daughter and daughter-in-law told him that they had been raped by Shah, the SHO said.

In his application, Hussain said he had contacted some influential people in the area regarding the matter and due to the pressure exerted by them, Shah offered money or land to the victims.

However, Hussain refused to accept.

A first information report was registered by the police under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The two women were sent to District Headquarter Hospital in Khanpur for medical tests while the police began a search operation to arrest Shah.

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

Pakistan

Piety for profit

Man burnt alive by ‘faith healer’

‘Faith healer’s treatment’ lands girl in hospital

Khurram

May 16, 2017 04:52pm

Bold decision to report the case.

Recommend 0

Houlbelat

May 16, 2017 05:09pm

What amulets? The so called 'faith healer' himself benefitted by from his sham power of so called 'luck producing charm', while ruining the whole lives of his victims. We must legislate and enforce law for bringing such devils to docks.

Recommend 0

Ahmed bin Babar

May 16, 2017 05:12pm

People are entrapped into such crimes due to sheer ignorance...

Recommend 0

abubakar

May 16, 2017 05:35pm

well faqir hussain for registering FIR against lunatic person. you have saved saved other girls

Recommend 0

Khan lala

May 16, 2017 05:40pm

First of all, such type of people are not deserving to be called faith healers. Secondly, the victims are equally responsible because 'ignorance is no excuse' and why they are seeking their ways to such type of people!!!

Recommend 0

Dia

May 16, 2017 05:43pm

I'm glad that this was reported

Recommend 0

ali

May 16, 2017 05:57pm

Only real education will eradicate these menace. Please invest on education, health care etc on priority basis.

Recommend 0

M Taimur

May 16, 2017 05:59pm

Civil society should support Faqir Hussain, his daughter and daughter-in-law and government should provide them protection. These so called "faith healers" are very powerful in our society.

Recommend 0

Fawzia H

May 16, 2017 06:54pm

Until people understand that no help can come from faith healers, saints, soothsayers etc these ridiculous things will keep happening. Have faith in your Creator people.

Recommend 0

observer

May 16, 2017 06:59pm

there are hundreds of such faith healers all over the country. Govt is dealing with them only when a tragedy like this occurs. It should be made part of Raddul Fisaad and all such faith healers should be arrested and tried in the court of law.

Recommend 0

Abdul khaliq

May 16, 2017 07:24pm

It is so unfortunate that these poor women had to go through this ordeal. I guess we have failed as a society to warn the vulnerable to keep away from such hidden threats. Such unfortunate incidents are etched in the minds of the victims but the society tends to forget them before the alleged stands a trial. We have to keep track of such heinous crimes till the justice gets meted out.

Recommend 0

Rafiq Ebrahim

May 16, 2017 07:46pm

First of all belief in 'faith healers' should be eliminated from the minds of common people. They are nothing but frauds, absolutely hell-bound criminals. One should ask only from GOD and let Him solve our problems. This fact should be hammered in the minds of all people. Any 'faith healer' when traced, should be put into prison right away. How can anybody be so foolish or ignorant- two young women going to a 'faith healer' to get raped? This guy should be given harsh punishment to provide a lesson to other such criminals and sinners.

Recommend 0

The end is near

May 16, 2017 08:14pm

Why these two young women went to this Thug faith-healer alone without any male companion? These women invited trouble upon themselves.

Recommend 0

Alba

May 16, 2017 08:35pm

A faith healer has that much land and money to offer? Faith healing must be a good business.

Recommend 0

Muslim Medina

May 16, 2017 08:45pm

Where are the Muftis and Maulanas? Why these people do not educate masses and tell them to avoid such phonies. The government should now act and eradicate this menace from Pakistan before more victims fall prey to these phonies.

Recommend 0

ahmad

May 16, 2017 09:20pm

another jhoota peer, after recent sargodha killing. does government has any role to play to safeguard its citizens from looting and fraud on whatever name? if so what it has done so far

Recommend 0

LAHORI KID

May 17, 2017 12:30am

quack doctors and quack quack healers, when will people learn.

Recommend 0

Ahsan gul

May 17, 2017 01:27am

This shows clearly how bad our public needs education in Islam and believes.

Recommend 0

Yawar

May 17, 2017 02:08am

@Khan lala "the victims are equally responsible because 'ignorance is no excuse'" Shabaash, blame the victim for the crime so that the aggressors continue doing this and the parents of victims continue to accept bribes and remain quiet.

Recommend 0

Aamir

May 17, 2017 04:31am

@ahmad joota peer? What is a sacha peer? All peers are fake and have no powers to give any thing to anyone. This is like good and bad taliban thing. Both are the same. High time to ban all such peers and faith heelers from practice.

Recommend 0

Hassan Parvez

May 17, 2017 04:43am

Law should be passed to ban all faith healers, they have no place in a modern society. Local government must start campaign to educate the illiterate people in villages that people claiming they can heal tem are fake.

Recommend 0

imp3

May 17, 2017 05:38am

the government should make a law, no advertisement of these so call faith healer by mean of wall chalking and not even in newspaper,they have ruin people life and they should apprehend those people who claim to cure impotency and other related conditions as it is not only embarrassing for women but damaging for teenage boys also, plus they are not medically qualified in any school of thought of medicine, they just loot the masses and at the same time ruining a person health, I think Dawn should highlight this issues.

Recommend 0

MSAlvi

May 17, 2017 06:28am

I know a case worse than this. A faith healer developed relationship with a young girl. After some time, both the faith healer and the girl disappeared. He eloped her away.

Recommend 0

CRICKET LOVER

May 17, 2017 07:49am

No discussions on this crime on talk shows. They are too bust discussing Panama case and Dawn leaks. Nobody cares for ordinary people. I believe that Talk shows should call the ministers of education, minister of transport and minister of health to explain ordeal of the public. So many innocent lives are lost due to untrained drivers and poor conditions of the vehicles on the roads but ministers are lured away by bribes and by their status. Bureaucrats are like parts of idle machinery, who say nothing on any matter. We need bold leaders to rule our country.

Recommend 0

Khalifa

May 19, 2017 01:50pm

We are told that many of our rulers, past and present, have their pirs who help them take decisions related to conduct of office and matters of statecraft. If this is believed, the future of faith healers is not doomed in this country!

Recommend 0

Branded Content

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expands climate action with one Million Tree Drive and forest reforms

The province is turning policy into action through a series of large scale programmes aimed at rebuilding ecosystems and improving resilience against rising climate pressures.

Taptap Send, Arshad Nadeem partner to highlight Pakistan’s unsung champions

The initiative comes at a time when cricket continues to dominate national attention, often overshadowing achievements in other sports.

NexGen Auto (Nishat Group) to Introduce iCAUR in Pakistan

As one of Pakistan’s leading business groups, Nishat Group operates across key sectors including textiles, cement, banking, insurance, power and agriculture.