TOBA TEK SINGH: A fake faith healer was arrested on Saturday by the Faisalabad Women Police Station for allegedly attempting to rape a woman, harassing her and extorting Rs73,000 from her.

Complainant ‘A’ of Samanabad locality claimed in her complaint that accused Baba Jalal Masih was called for spiritual treatment for her ailment. She claimed that he came along with his six accomplices including a woman and took Rs73,000 from her.

She alleged the healer also took her to a separate room in her house for ‘spiritual cure’ where he attempted to rape her.

She said when she demanded her money back, he threatened to kidnap her and her children.

SENTENCED: Faisalabad Additional District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Anwarullah handed down 20 year imprisonment and a fine of Rs500,000 to a fake faith healer Shakil Ahmad of Chak Jhumra.

Prosecution said that the convict had kept his 16-year-old maid locked in a room of his house for four months in 2024 and repeatedly raped her during this period.

The accused was on bail and was arrested by the police after the court announced the verdict.

BISP: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) beneficiaries of Jhang have urged the higher authorities to take notice of the hardships they face for the issuance of free mobile phone SIMs.

The BISP had decided to transfer funds to their mobile phone accounts due to complaints of illegal deductions by retailers. However, women complained that poor arrangements and weak monitoring at the SIM distribution center in Mai Heer Stadium had created difficulties, particularly for elderly and sick beneficiaries.

They told reporters that they were forced to stand in long queues for hours in cold weather to obtain tokens, only to be informed that the daily quota had been exhausted and that they should come back the next day. They alleged favouritism in token distribution, claiming that staff prioritised selected women, while others were ignored.

It is to be mentioned that third-party agents had been tasked with issuing SIMs to 184,754 beneficiaries.

When contacted, Jhang BISP Deputy Director Shahzad Watto claimed that he was personally monitoring the token distribution process and it was running smoothly.

He said that action would be taken if any written complaint of irregularities was given to him.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2025