ISLAMABAD, March 1: The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (Apma) chairman, Shahbaz Bhatti, has condemned the "gang-rape" of a 12-year-old Christian girl in Yazman Mandi near Bahawalpur and urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu action of the incident.

Mr Bhatti told Dawn on Monday that the victim, a resident of Chak 6 DNB, was allegedly abducted by three persons, Bashir Ahmed, Nazir Ahmed and Mohammad Imran, who gang raped her, burnt her body with cigarettes and made a video film of the incident.

"The screams of the victim were heard by people at quite a distance but nobody had the courage to come to her rescue," he said. He said the matter was reported with the Raj Kan police station, Multan, but the FIR was not registered till Saturday evening and no action was initiated by the police against the culprits. However, Moharir Lal Khan of the police station, when contacted, told Dawn that it was not an incident of rape or physical violence, but a case of 'eveteasing'.

A case under sections 354 and 342/34 PPC has been registered against the three accused, he added. Mr Bhatti said: "We demand of the Punjab governor, Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Maqbool, and Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to take notice of the incident and react just like they had responded to Mukhtaran Mai of Jatoi Village."

He blamed the 'insensitive' attitude of the government and the administration towards the increasing incidents of kidnapping, violence and rape against women from minorities.

"We want to make it clear to those behind such ugly incidents that these minority women are not helpless any more. We will resort to every legal, constitutional and democratic step to protect the honour of minority women all over the country," Mr Bhatti said.