In recent years young men and women from small towns have been moving to bigger cities in search of better employment opportunities. While some return disappointed and empty handed, those who are able to stay in their new homes often have harrowing stories to tell of their survival and exploitation.

One such disturbing story surfaced on March 16 when a young woman P lodged an FIR with the Airport Police against her colleagues in a government department for blackmailing, sexually assaulting and impregnating her.

P hails from Gujrat and came to Pindi some seven months back. In the FIR, she stated that she was the eldest of three sisters, and moved so she could support her parents financially.

“I have an Intermediate degree and when I could not find a job in Gujrat I came to Rawalpindi, and rented a room in a private hostel located at Cricket Stadium Road,” she stated.

A few days later, P went to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Sector F-8 in Islamabad. P says that she was interviewed by W A, a Grade 16 officer posted as assistant cast manager, and J A, a programme organiser, and was hired as a coordinator after a brief interview.

She alleges that from the start the two looked for ways to exploit her, and she was actively pursued by J A She claims that a few days after she had joined PNCA, the two officials made a video of her taking a shower and used it to blackmail her.

“I found out when they sent SMS with naked photographs of mine,” the victim said in her complaint and added: “It was worrisome for me because it would not only destroy my life but also be unbearable for my parents.”

In her complaint, P says that she confronted J A and W A about the video and vilified them for their shameful act, but they did not agree to delete the film. Instead, she claims, J A asked her to marry him if she wanted to save her honour and not be ostracised by her colleagues and society.

P claims she had no choice but to agree to marry J A After this, her version of events is unclear but she claims that she was taken to a house near Fazaiya Colony by J.A and W.A, and a third man S A, a relative of J A. In the FIR, she claims that she was repeatedly raped by J A in connivance with W A and was also detained in the house for several days. This ordeal left her pregnant.

The police told this scribe that she was still willing to marry J A but decided against it when she found out that he was chasing another girl and was making false promises of marriage to her too. Hurt by this, she sought the help of police and lodged a rape case against the two officials of the PNCA and S A.Sub-inspector Muhammad Hanif, the investigating officer, told Dawn that the two government officials J A and W A were arrested on March 21 and are being interrogated. Their third accomplice S A is still at large.

SI Hanif said that the preliminary investigation has revealed that J A has a history of such harassment. “There are two other girls with whom he played similar games, but they do not want to be involved in a police case,” he said. “S A-- he used to hire rooms in different hotels in the twin cities for the victim and the accused --is yet to be arrested. Though W A has been nominated in the case by the victim and has been in police custody, his involvement in the rape is unclear.”

The investigations have only just started and one is sure that more details will emerge. However, at the end of the day one hopes that justice is served in case there has been an exploitation, and also to set an example so that in the future such incidents are not repeated and do not prove to be deterrents to women joining the work force.