QUETTA: Adviser to the Chief Minister on Home and Tribal Affairs Mir Ziaullah Langove has said that the authorities concerned have contacted the Afghan government through Foreign Office to seek repatriation of two sisters to Pakistan to help investigate the video scandal.

Two suspects have been arrested for kidnapping and raping the girls, making their objectionable videos, posting the same on internet and blackmailing them.

The girls were sent to Afghanistan by their family.

“A formal request has been sent to the Afghan government for sending back both the girls to Quetta as the girls are presently in Kabul,” Mr Langove said.

He said the government would fulfil its responsibility by taking legal action against the suspects. “The suspects do not deserve pardon and all possible steps would be taken to provide justice to the affected families,” he said.

Video scandal suspects remanded into police custody

Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo was personally monitoring the investigation as it was a matter of the honour of women and no one could tolerate such shameful activities, he said.

The adviser has called a meeting on Sunday (today) to review progress on the investigation.

Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate of Quetta on Saturday remanded the two men believed to be involved in kidnapping and raping the two sisters, filming them, posting the videos on internet and blackmailing them in police custody for seven days.

Amid tight security, the police produced the main suspect and his brother before the judicial magistrate and sought their seven-day remand for interrogation.

The court accepted the request.

Police have launched an investigation in view of complaints submitted by two women. In one application, the complainant said that the suspects had kidnapped her two daughters and were blackmailing them after making their objectionable videos and posting the videos on social media.

A senior police officer, who is part of the investigation team, said that mobile phones, laptops and other equipment used for filming the videos had been sent to Punjab forensic laboratory for forensic tests. He said police were conducting raids for the arrest of a third suspect who was still at large.

Police officials said that a similar case had been registered against the suspect at Sariab police station last year.

Meanwhile, members of civil society took out a procession to protest against the video scandal. Led by human rights activists Huma Foladi, Seema Batool and Hameeda Nooral, the participants marched on Jinnah Road and Adalat Road. Finally, they converged outside Quetta Press Club where they chanted slogans.

Ms Foladi and other speakers condemned the shameful act against the girls and said that the culprits must be awarded exemplary punishment.

They said that the prime suspects was earlier booked in a similar case but no legal action was taken against him due to support of influential people.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2021