BAHAWALPUR: A four-member committee paid a visit to Cholistan to ascertain facts of the alleged rape and murder of three minor girls in the desert about two months ago. In the initial inquiry, the committee found no evidence of rape of the girls.

The committee, headed by caretaker minister for law Tahir Haider Rizvi, was constituted by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights last week. Former interior minister Rehman Malik, the chairman of the senate committee, had formed the four-member inquiry team. It also comprises Punjab additional chief secretary (ACS) Naseem Nawaz, AIG Kanwar Shah Rukh and Bahawalpur commissioner Nayyar Iqbal. The Multan regional police officer (RPO) also accompanied committee during its visit to Toba Sharaiwala, Cholistan, where the bodies of three girls were recovered under the sand dunes.

Earlier, the police had claimed that the deceased girls had lost their way due to the strong windstorm in the area. But in the meeting of Senate standing committee, its chairman Rehman Malik had accused the police officials of concealing facts, claiming that woman medical officer (WMO), in her report, submitted that the girls were raped and murdered. The senate committee had formed a four-member committee to probe the case and submit its report within a week’s period.

According to Rehan Gilani, the PRO of regional police officer (RPO), the committee members inspected the crime scene at Toba Sharaiwala and collected evidence. He told Dawn that Fort Abbas police had also registered a case against unidentified persons under alleged rape and murder charges. But the case was been registered after 53 days of the incident.

Meanwhile, an official handout, said the provincial minister, Tahir Haider Rizvi, and committee members visited the houses of the bereaved families, condoled with them on the tragic death of their girls and offered prayers for the deceased. The families informed the committee the deceased had lost their path in the desert due to windstorm and died of thirst and starvation. The committee also recorded the evidence of the doctor.

The law minister stated that no evidence of rape with the deceased girls was found and the lady doctor also did not verify that deceased girls were raped. However, he added that further probe into the incident would be carried out.

WOMAN: A woman who was found unconscious at her home yesterday expired at the Bahawal Victoria Hospital on Sunday.

According to the DPO office, the woman, Nijat Bibi, had allegedly taken acid and fell unconscious in her village house, about 25km from here. She was rushed to BVH’s emergency ward where she died.

Police claimed that Nijat Bibi was married to one Muhammad Aamir about five months ago and had family dispute with her husband. The police took her body in possession for post-mortem. A report has been registered with Nowshehra Jadid police.

TREES: The forest department and the Rangers would plant 50,000 saplings in the border area of Cholistan during the current tree plantation campaign.

According to officials of the forest department, the saplings would be planted over an area of 40,000 acres along the border in the Bahawalpur division.

EXPELLED: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) acting Punjab emir Iqbal Rashid held a press conference and announced expulsion of the party’s district secretary Shafqatur Rehman from the party for his retirement from the election in favour of PML-N candidate Rana Muhammad Tariq.

The JUI provincial chief told the media that Shafqat had retired without knowledge and permission of the MMA high command and his party membership had also been terminated.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2018