KARACHI, April 13: Police on Wednesday registered a case against some Christian women for attacking police, creating hurdles in their official work and causing one of the policewomen to miscarry. According to police, two officials of women police were sent to the Brenton Carey Hostel, an institution of the Diocese of Karachi, Church of Pakistan, to deliver a letter to its administrator, Ms Ghazala Shafiq, on Monday.

Instead of receiving the letter, she hurled abuses at the police officials and beat them up with the help of girl students, the police claimed, adding that the women had torn off the officials’ uniform and created hurdles in the discharge of their duty.

Ms Shafiq has been dismissed from her post by the Bishop of Karachi, Sadiq Daniel. She claims that Aijaz Inayat, and not Sadiq Daniel, is the Bishop of Karachi. As such, she maintains, Sadiq Daniel does not have the powers to dismiss her from her post.

She told newsmen on Tuesday that when she objected to the orders of Mr Sadiq Daniel, she had forcibly been evicted from the hostel. “A police team, along with some men of Sadiq Daniel, raided the hostel, broke open the door of her room and ransacked it. They stripped me of my clothes and subjected me to torture,” she claimed.

She insisted that the hostel was run by a governing body and she could be removed only by the orders of its chairperson, and not by the bishop. She denied having received any letter pertaining to her suspension or dismissal.

The provincial home department has requested the Sindh High Court to appoint a judge to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident, said a senior police official.

Meanwhile, Aijaz Inayat, while talking to Dawn, said that a woman was being made victim of the tussle over the lingering property disputes. He said that he and his people were fighting to save the property, worth billions of rupees, in the city that Sadiq Daniel and his people wanted to dispose of. He linked that torture and dislodging of Ghazala Shafiq with the incident in which some Christians were killed at the Idara Amn-o-Insaf in September 2002 and the killing of its Chairman, Edwin Moon, in May 2002.

He blamed the government and police for favouring Sadiq Daniel and providing him assistance. He also alleged that city police chief Tariq Jamil had taken bribe from Sadiq Daniel. Refuting the allegation, Tariq Jamil said: “I consider Sadiq Daniel as the official bishop of Karachi, as he has been recognized at all government levels, as well as by the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

About the hostel incident, the police chief said that it was the institution’s internal matter, but when Ghazala Shafiq resisted Sadiq Daniel’s order, the latter sought police help. “We had sent two lady constables to Ghazala but they were subjected to maltreatment by her due to which one of the constables, who was pregnant, suffered a miscarriage,” he added.

DSP Clifton Raza Shah refuted Ghazala’s claim that male police officials had entered the hostel premises.

He said that police intervened when Sadiq Daniel sought their help.

“We sent two police constables, one of them Naureen, to the hostel to deliver a letter to Ghazala about her suspension. Instead of receiving the letter, she, along with some other students, beat the two constables and tore off their uniforms. Naureen, was pregnant and due to the maltreatment, she suffered miscarriage,” the DSP maintained.

Naureen, on Wednesday night, registered an FIR (No. 44/05) against Ghazala Shafiq and others for attacking police officials, tearing off their uniforms, hindering official work, and cause the miscarriage.

The DSP said that more women police officials had been sent to Ghazala later. “We did not subject her to torture,” he added.

He said that an official from the CM’s House, Sabir Rajput, came to settle the dispute and held meetings with both the Christian factions. It was decided that Ghazala Shafiq be sent on leave for three days. Another meeting would be held on Friday to resolve the issue, the DSP said.

Kaleem Jawed, Ghazala’s brother, has alleged that his sister was not being allowed to enter the hostel. He alleged that some of the girl students had still been held hostage at the hostel and were being forced to sign their statements against Ghazala.

“We have got the medico-legal certificate,” he said, adding that it would prove that his sister had been subjected to torture.