LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday summoned the Lahore deputy commissioner and the Baitul Maal director on a petition seeking a judicial inquiry into accusations of former superintendent of the Kashana Welfare Centre, a government-run Darul Aman for destitute girls, that the facility was being used to supply underage orphanage girls to powerful ministers.

Afshan Latif, the suspended superintendent of Kashana, made the allegations in videos posted online and also claimed that government victimized her for revealing the truth. Social worker Majeedul Haq moved the petition pleading that the state was responsible to provide protection to every citizen. He said alleged treatment being meted out by the orphan girls at the state-run facility was a cruelty and needed a judicial inquiry to bring the responsible to book.

Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan heard the arguments and sought personal appearance of the deputy commissioner and director of Baitul Mal on Dec 12. Ms Latif was also present in the courtroom along with her counsel, however, the judge asked her to come up on next hearing.

Outside the court, Ms Latif told reporters that she had knocked every door for justice but no one heard her voice forcing her to use the platform of social media. She said the orphan girls had been exploited in the name of providing bread and clothes to them. Ms Latif filed a complaint to her department against the director general of Kashana, Afshan Kiran Imtiaz. She alleged that the director general pressurised her to marry off underage girls to high-ranking officials.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2019