Punjab CM takes notice of woman's gang-rape in Nankana Sahib

Published October 1, 2020
Mangtanwala police have registered a case against six accused, four of whom have not been identified. — AP/File
Mangtanwala police have registered a case against six accused, four of whom have not been identified. — AP/File

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Thursday took notice of a woman's suspected gang-rape in the province's Nankana Sahib district and directed the regional police officer to submit a report regarding the incident.

Mangtanwala police have registered a case against six accused, four of whom have not been identified.

A first information report, registered on the complaint of the victim's sister on Sep 29, stated that the woman was travelling home on a passenger bus from Lahore to Jaranwala on September 24 at 7pm when the vehicle broke down near Mangtanwala police station limits.

While she was waiting for another bus, two men in a white car stopped and offered to drop her off at More Khunda, the complaint said, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

The men drugged the victim by giving her juice that was spiked and took her to a dera where four other men were waiting. The accused gang-raped the victim and then left her in a field, the complaint said. After regaining consciousness, the woman went to her sister's house and told her what happened.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Nanakana Sahib District Police Office Ismail Kharak said that a case has been registered and three teams have been constituted to investigate the incident. He added that the victim's medical report was awaited.

He added that police were also looking into the bus the victim had travelled in and why it had broken down.

In recent weeks, there has been massive public outrage over the handling of sexual assault cases after a woman was gang-raped on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children.

So far, police have only managed to arrest one of the accused while the prime suspect still remains at large.


Additional reporting by Wasim Riaz

Opinion

Editorial

Vox populi
22 Mar, 2023

Vox populi

History will not judge kindly those who throw the laws of this land in the bin to keep just one man away from power.
Iraq’s wounds
22 Mar, 2023

Iraq’s wounds

TWO decades after the US military machine — aided by the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ — stormed into Iraq, ...
Mental health epidemic
22 Mar, 2023

Mental health epidemic

THERE are mounting stressors in the day-to-day existence of average Pakistanis. Rising inflation and unemployment...
Petroleum subsidy
Updated 21 Mar, 2023

Petroleum subsidy

The govt seems more interested in reviving its political capital through ad hoc measures rather than fixing economy.
Country on edge
Updated 21 Mar, 2023

Country on edge

In this war of petty egos, ordinary people cannot continue to suffer.
Afghan funding cut
21 Mar, 2023

Afghan funding cut

AS the world grapples with multiple crises, the miseries of the people of Afghanistan seem to have been relegated to...