ISLAMABAD: A five-member Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) was constituted on Friday to probe the torture case of a 13-year-old maid registered against her employer, wife of a civil judge.

DIG operations Shahzad Ahmad Bukhari was nominated as the convener of the team with SSP Investigation Rukhsar Mehdi and SSP Counter-Terrorism Department Yasir Afridi and others as its members.

According to the order issued from the IGP office, the SJIT was constituted under section 506, 342, 328A, 324, 337A-i, 337A-iii, 337F-I, 337F-v, 337L-ii, 3344 at the police station Humak, Islamabad.

“The SJIT, comprising officers of the capital police and other law enforcement agencies, is hereby constituted to investigate the case on sheer merit. Besides the investigating officers, the convener of the SJIT may co-opt any other members from the capital police to assist the SJIT in better evidence collection on professional lines. Office of the DIG Operation will act as secretariat for holding of meetings of SJIT,” the order stated.

Police officers say body constituted due to mounting media pressure

The Ministry of Interior was requested to nominate representatives of ISI and IB, not below the rank of grade-19.

Talking to Dawn, police officers said SJIT was constituted due to the mounting pressure as the media continued criticising the capital police for first delaying registration of the case and then not adding relevant sections of the law to the FIR on time.

“The SJIT is likely to start its proceedings tonight or tomorrow (Saturday),” they said, adding the file of the case, including FIR, statements, medico-legal certificate and supplementary statements, were sought from the Humak police.

The civil judge’s wife, who is on an interim bail, was yet to appear before the police. The police investigators had earlierasked her to appear before them on Friday evening. However, now she will appear before the SJIT and in case of her failure the suspect will be summoned, the officers added.

A police team from the capital is also in Lahore and in contact with the family of the maid. The team also met the victim who is now recovering and has started talking and moving, said the officers.

The team will bring the girl to the capital once her condition gets stable and doctors allow her to travel, they added.

The alleged torture on the maid by wife of the civil judge surfaced when her family came to meet her at the house of her employer on July 23 and found her subjected to severe torture. The family took her to their native town of Sargodha and then to a hospital there on July 24.

The Sargodha police issued the MLC to her family after doctors asked for it to start treatment of the girl. The Sargodha police also approached the Islamabad police and provided them with the MLC and a complaint for registration of the case. However, the police were initially found reluctant and registered the case only after the case was highlighted by the media.

Initially, the police had registered the case under section 506 and 342 on July 25 in response to a complaint lodged by her father. Later, more sections of the PPC were added to the case.

Published in Dawn, Aug 5th, 2023