ISLAMABAD, Sept 24: Sonia Naz, an alleged rape victim, on Saturday petitioned the Supreme Court for early hearing of a pending matter in which she has sought order for registration of a case against those who abused her. Filed by advocate Zulfikar Ahmed Bhutta on her behalf, a one-page application requested the apex court to fix for Sept 26 the matter in which she had requested the court to order the Faisalabad police to register a first information report (FIR) against those who raped her.

According to the application, the issue has become a matter of public importance since she is being denied her legal rights as a citizen by not registering her case and making a horrible example of her to discourage others not to disclose any injustice to higher functionaries.

In her earlier application, Ms Naz accused the Punjab provincial authorities of hampering and causing undue delay in the registration of the FIR against the Faisalabad police officers nominated by her as culprits.

She sought a directive from the apex court to book the police officials she had nominated as culprits in a Hudood case and initiate legal proceedings against the respondent police officers who refused to register the FIR on rape charges.

Ms Naz was arrested from the National Assembly in April on the order of Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain for entering parliament without authority. She had gone there to seek help of the public representatives to find her missing husband.

She alleged that she was kept in illegal confinement for a fortnight, raped and tortured by Station House Officer Jaranwala (Faisalabad) Jamshed Chishti on the directives of Superintendent Police (investigations) Abdullah Khalid.

Both the police officers were suspended after the scandal broke out.

The police officers have accused Ms Naz of framing them to save her husband who was allegedly involved in forging registration documents of stolen vehicles.

Ms Naz was later sent to Adiala jail from where she was released on bail but was allegedly abducted by the Faisalabad police.

After her release from illegal confinement, she filed an application against the Faisalabad police officers on Sept 2 at Satoo Katla police station in Lahore, but the SHO refused to register the case.