RAWALPINDI: Police have been deployed around the grave of a seven-year-old girl who was laid to rest two days ago as her grave was found desecrated on Thursday.

Zafar Iqbal, 35, a painter and resident of Girja Road lodged a complaint with the Dhamial police saying that his daughter Aleena Zafar, 7, expired due to illness on Tuesday and was laid to rest in the Khan Colony graveyard.

He further said that as per routine, they went to the graveyard to offer Dua at 6.30am on Thursday when they found Aleena’s shroud and a piece of cotton which was stuffed into her mouth was lying at the ground floor of a Havaili located adjacent to the graveyard.

He said that it looked as if her grave was prepared again by putting fresh mud and the concrete slabs placed on her grave were also lying outside her grave. He claimed that he and his brother recognised Aleena’s shroud very-well after that they called the emergency police 15.

“I have no knowledge whether my daughter’s body was still lying in the grave, or somewhere else. Or any unidentified person or individuals by committing Jadoo Tona (witchery) had committed a criminal offence somewhere else,” he said in the complaint.

Later the police were deployed at the grave soon after the incident was reported to the police by the father of the deceased girl.

A police spokesman said in a statement that the Dhamyal police had deployed security at the grave soon after receiving the complaint. Initially, no evidence of desecration of the grave was found. Action is being taken as per the law, said the spokesman. The grave will be dug up with the permission of the court, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2025