TOBA TEK SINGH: Social media has made it possible for a woman from Kashmir to get freedom 16 years after her kidnapping.

The woman was allegedly kidnapped from Khulana locality of the Chakothi Police Station area on the Indian border in the Hattian Bala district of Azad Kashmir was recovered by the Arrouti police from village Shahpur of the Toba Tek Singh district.

Toba district police spokesperson Attaullah told the media persons on Sunday that Asia Bibi, daughter of Raja Sher Muhammad, had gone missing from her village in 2008 and Chakothi police had registered a case. Asia was actually kidnapped from her area by one Ghulam Mustafa, a resident of Jhang, who brought her to his city and kept her in his house for two years. He later handed her over to an aged man, named Allah Yar, a resident of Toba, who contracted a marriage with her. She had been living with him since then.

Asia recently found an opportunity to use a smartphone and she recorded her video in which she told her story of kidnapping that occurred in 2008. She told about her present whereabouts. She made her video viral on social media, which was watched by someone from her village and he informed her parents. The matter was brought to the notice of the federal government and finally Faisalabad Regional Police Officer Dr Muhammad Abid Khan and Toba District Police Officer Ibadat Nisar were contacted.

The Toba police spokesperson said police raided the house of Allah Yar and recovered Asia. She has been temporarily shifted to Darul Aman on the order of a judicial magistrate from where she would be handed over to the Azad Kashmir police. Allah Yar has also been arrested and police would arrest the abductor, Ghulam Mustafa, from Jhang to hand both the suspects to Azad Kashmir police.

Asia Bibi said she was very glad that her reunion was happening with her family after 16 years.

THEFT: During the Eid holidays, thieves took away Rs2.2m cash from the shop of a fertiliser dealer in the grain market at Gojra.

Muhammad Rafiq told the Gojra City police that when he opened his shop on Sunday, he found locks of his shop broken. He also found that thieves had taken away Rs2.2m cash from his shop.

It is to be mentioned that during the Eid holidays, thieves had also taken away from trhe same area cash of Rs1.7m from the office of a cigarette agency owner, Zahid Rauf Kamobh.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2024