KARACHI, Jan 26: A domestic worker has blamed her employer of abducting her 12-year-old daughter and the police failed to recover her despite that a complaint had been lodged two months ago, said a press statement issued by a private charity, Madadgaar, a subsidiary of the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid.

According to the statement, Mumtaz Mai, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, and her family met Advocate Zia Awan at the Madadgaar Helpline and informed him that she and her daughter, Shahnaz, used to work at a house owned by Rizwan Warsi in Block-15 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. Her daughter had been employed to work day and night while she was asked to assist her daughter in daytime.

Mumtaz Mai stated, “On 25th November 2006, when I arrived at work as per routine, Mr Warsi told me that Shahnaz had secretly disappeared. He asked me not to inform the police and assured that he would recover Shahnaz.” Mumtaz Mai informed Mr Awan that she retorted to Mr Warsi that she had been with her daughter till 11pm the previous night and she was fine till then, how could she have vanished suddenly?” She said her daughter was too young to have taken such a step.

According to Mumtaz Mai, her family submitted a written request to SHO Gulistan-i-Jauhar to recover her daughter from Mr Warsi as he had conceded to have knowledge of her whereabouts. According to the statement, she said a few days prior to the incident Mrs Farah Warsi, wife of Mr Warsi, had offered Rs100,000 in exchange of Mumtaz Mai’s daughter.

“Based on this evidence, she suspects that Mr. and Mrs. Warsi had a key role in the secret disappearance of her daughter,” added the statement.

She said, “When SHO Gulistan-i-Jauhar summoned Mr Warsi on our request his police inspector friend was accompanying him. He later promised that her daughter would be recovered in four days.”

According to her, upon the SHO’s investigation, Mr Warsi admitted to have knowledge of her daughter’s whereabouts and that he would return Shahnaz to the family in four days. She said, “On this piece of information, the SHO promised her to record the facts in “Roznamcha” (daily diary), although we did not witness him recording it.

She complained that since then the family had no knowledge of her whereabouts. The SHO was unable to provide her with any information regarding the case, she said claiming that on contacting Mr Warsi, she had received threats. Mumtaz Mai feared that her daughter might have been used for trafficking or sexual exploitation.

Advocate Zia Awan assured the family that his organization would provide them with complete protection and legal support. Moreover, Mr Awan appealed to the governor, ombudsman, IGP and city police chief for immediate recovery of the girl.