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Motorway rape incident: Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali sentenced to death [Post#474]

I know that right now everyone is in Mob justice mood but i am still going to voice an unpopular view which people would lynch me for, but these rapes have been occurring in Pakistan for the last 20-30-40 years, why is there so much outrage now? How long will this anger and fiery last for? 2-3 weeks?

You know our public, they jump onto anything after its happened instead of doing things proactively to make sure such nonsense doesn't happen.
 
Yeah meanwhile I am all. for harshest punishment for proven criminal and rapist but we cannot afford to punish an innocent person, there should be no loop holes in law. And we can't always assume that 100 percent of times women is right in such cases. So Josh se nai hosh se kam lena chahiye. And we need change in upbringing and behavior otherwise no punishment would make a real difference.
 
One thing govt's should strive for is maximum number of CCTV camera's all over the country. It is the best way to get evidence
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I asked the woman in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MotowayIncident?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MotowayIncident</a> about the apology of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CCPOLahore?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CCPOLahore</a>. She said she was extremely hurt by his comments and her family life has suffered massively. "He should be removed". She said. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CCPOLahore?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CCPOLahore</a></p>— Fe'reeha@ abbtakk (@Fereeha) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fereeha/status/1305554427940614146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
During the discussion on the motorway incident Shahbaz Sharif flaunted that Alhumdulilah this motorway was constructed Nawaz Sharif.



This paindu ruled for 10 years straight. :facepalm:
 
During the discussion on the motorway incident Shahbaz Sharif flaunted that Alhumdulilah this motorway was constructed Nawaz Sharif.



This paindu ruled for 10 years straight. :facepalm:

Is this real?????? ***!!!!!!!!!!
 
Is this real?????? ***!!!!!!!!!!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never go full ****** like Shahbaz Sharif. <a href="https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0">https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0</a></p>— Aamna Hassan Fasihi (@AamnaFasihi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamnaFasihi/status/1305552736780521472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never go full ****** like Shahbaz Sharif. <a href="https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0">https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0</a></p>— Aamna Hassan Fasihi (@AamnaFasihi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamnaFasihi/status/1305552736780521472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Should we start expecting patwaris to come here and demand this buffoon resigns from his party?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never go full ****** like Shahbaz Sharif. <a href="https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0">https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0</a></p>— Aamna Hassan Fasihi (@AamnaFasihi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamnaFasihi/status/1305552736780521472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What a besharam aadmi.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never go full ****** like Shahbaz Sharif. <a href="https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0">https://t.co/1hctpn9kf0</a></p>— Aamna Hassan Fasihi (@AamnaFasihi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamnaFasihi/status/1305552736780521472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hello [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] you kept going on and on about irresponsible statement by the CCPO, what then do you make of this by the LEADER OF OPPOSITION.


Different set of rules with people aligned with you politically?
 
https://urdu.nayadaur.tv/45467/

Full story here after the anchor talked to the victim, absolutely obvious now that someone tipped the rapists off that she was alone. The text translated into English:

Anchor Fareeha Idrees has tweeted a thread on Motorway Gang Rape and opened a new Pandora's box. She wrote that there are some other points to be considered in the investigation of this incident which should be investigated from every aspect. She says the raped woman was an educated and confident woman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Misleading and muddy details like who filed the FIR, etc. should be avoided.

Investigators should also investigate how the attacker was so confident that she was alone and that no one came to her aid. And how they knew how much time they had. Because roadside robbery or theft can happen, there is little scope for rape.

She wrote about the incident that the woman reached the toll plaza and paid the toll tax. At the same time, she inquired from the toll collector regarding the nearby petrol pump. She moved on, but her car stopped shortly afterwards (at the scene). She called the motorway helpline. The helpline apologized for helping them but was given a local number. The person on the helpline contacted them on the WhatsApp and got their location. And told them to wait.

The correspondent asked her how much petrol she would need. On which the woman said that she needed petrol of one thousand rupees. The woman waited for 90 minutes. About half past one, a truck approached the car and the truck stopped. One of the men got out and approached the car and peeked inside. The woman, meanwhile, kept trying to figure out who the man was. The man surrounded the car and after a while he got in the truck and left. It was 2:44 p.m. The assailants appeared two minutes after the truck left. At 2:47 a.m., the woman's family contacted her but she could not answer because the attack had already begun. One of them even broke his hand while breaking the glass. The two were talking to each other in Punjabi and the woman in Urdu.

They were around 30 to 35 years old. When the woman was found by police and her belongings were searched, eyewitnesses said that a Rs. 1000 note and a card filled with mud were lying on the dashboard of the vehicle.

The assailants apparently wanted the woman to go home and not tell anyone. But is it just a coincidence that the woman told the police helpline for Rs.1000 petrol and the attackers also knew that she would need Rs.1000 petrol to reach home? So one of the men who had the woman's bag returned to keep it.

This thread raises some new questions. First of all, this case is currently the most high profile case in Pakistan. All media channels are reporting about this from different angles. At the same time, this is the age of social media. In this regard, there are still media reports of the truck reaching the scene, but the details regarding the existence of a thousand rupees, the talk of the toll plaza, etc. have not come to light. However, from the thoughts and assumptions and information with which Fareeha has captured a scene, she probably wants to say that the incident involved the police or some people who have access to the woman's conversation with the police. Because the attackers carried out the incident in the light of the information that the woman gave to the police.

Now if you look at the social media, the supporters and workers of the ruling party are busy making the theory that in fact this incident has taken place with the connivance of the police officers against the CCPO Lahore Umar Sheikh who is inside the police. To fail.

By the way, this matter should be investigated in every possible way and if Fareeha has any solid evidence, she should bring it forward, however, to give the impression that all this happened in opposition to Omar Sheikh is very wrong. The incident took place because police were not deployed on the motorway. And then because when the woman was crying for help, those who came to her aid told her the logic of limits. And then Omar Sheikh added fuel to the fire that the same woman is responsible for all this and then the whole government supported her. All these were the mistakes of the government and Omar Sheikh, they should not be blamed on anyone else
 
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Shahbaz is such a cruel and braindead person. Instead of sympathising with the victim and showing some compassion, he said that the motorway on which the rape took place was built by Mian.
 
LAHORE: Motorway gang rape suspect, Shafqat Ali, will be presented before a court today after he was arrested from Dibalpur and confessed to have committed the crime along with the key suspect, Abdi Ali, who is still at large.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had on Monday said one of the two suspects in the case has been arrested.

"His DNA has matched, and he has confessed to the crime", Buzdar had said in a tweet.
 
LAHORE: A third accomplice of the two prime suspects in the motorway gang rape case has been detained, police confirmed on Tuesday, while key suspect Abid Ali remains at large.

Police said a man named Bala Mistri, identified by the arrested suspect Shafqat Ali as the third person in the Lahore motorway gang rape case, has been taken into custody.

According to details, Bala Mistri was with them on that night but had left before the incident.

The police said that he has been involved in various crimes alongside Abid in the past as well.

Shafqat reveals third name in motorway rape case

A day prior, sources had informed Geo Newsthat suspect Shafqat told police a third name in the motorway rape case during interrogation.

According to Shafqat, Mistri called him and the prime suspect Abid to Lahore and all three gathered in Shahdara where they had food together. They "went to commit the crime but Bala Mistri turned back halfway," he had told police, according to sources.

Shafqat had also told police that he and Abid had tried to rape a woman in Sheikhupura a month earlier but fled as Punjab police arrived on the scene.

"We spent a night at Qila Sattar Shah after committing the rape," Shafqat told police, as per sources. "The next day, I went to Dialpur and Abid went to his father in Manga Mandi," he added, noting that he was last in contact with the prime suspect three days ago.
 
LAHORE: A suspect in the Lahore motorway gang-rape case was handed over to police on a 14-day judicial remand approved by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday.

The suspect, Shafqat Ali, was arrested from Dibalpur a day prior and confessed to committing the crime alongside key suspect, Abid Ali, who remains at large.

A case was registered against Shafqat on behalf of the gang-rape survivor's relative, police informed the court.

They added that apart from Sections 376 and 392 of the Pakistan Penal Code, a terrorism clause was also included in the first information report (FIR) filed at a Lahore police station.
 
Shehbaz apologises for insensitive comment on motorway rape case

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif apologised for his 'insensitive' remarks delivered during his NA speech in which he credited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for having the Sialkot motorway constructed during his tenure as prime minister.

"Since this incident took place at the Sialkot motorway, I think it won't be inappropriate to say that this motorway was also built under Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's supervision by the PML-N," Shehbaz had said during his speech.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Shehbaz said he was "sincerely sorry" for his remarks that came across as sensitive.

"Couldn’t properly contextualize my comment during NA speech & it came across as insensitive. I didn’t mean it that way & am sincerely sorry for it. I’m devastated like all of u on this unfortunate incident. Hope Govt now provides security on Sialkot motorway 4 safety of citizens!" he tweeted.

Shehbaz's comments had been slammed on social media by the Pakistani Twitterati, who criticised the former Punjab chief minister for claiming credit for building the motorway instead of focusing on the crime and how to prevent it from happening again.

Immediately after his speech, federal minister Murad Saeed said that he accepted responsibility for the crime even though it had not taken place at the motorway.

Murad had expressed disappointment at Shehbaz's remarks, stating that it was unfortunate how the PML-N president was claiming credit for building the motorway and the forensic lab where the tests were conducted.

Shehbaz's comments had been slammed on social media by the Pakistani Twitterati, who criticised the former Punjab chief minister for claiming credit for building the motorway instead of focusing on the crime and how to prevent it from happening again.

Immediately after his speech, federal minister Murad Saeed said that he accepted responsibility for the crime even though it had not taken place at the motorway.

Murad had expressed disappointment at Shehbaz's remarks, stating that it was unfortunate how the PML-N president was claiming credit for building the motorway and the forensic lab where the tests were conducted.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/308101-shehbaz-apologises-for-insensitive-comment-on-motorway-rape-case
 
Shehbaz apologises for insensitive comment on motorway rape case

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif apologised for his 'insensitive' remarks delivered during his NA speech in which he credited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for having the Sialkot motorway constructed during his tenure as prime minister.

"Since this incident took place at the Sialkot motorway, I think it won't be inappropriate to say that this motorway was also built under Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's supervision by the PML-N," Shehbaz had said during his speech.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Shehbaz said he was "sincerely sorry" for his remarks that came across as sensitive.

"Couldn’t properly contextualize my comment during NA speech & it came across as insensitive. I didn’t mean it that way & am sincerely sorry for it. I’m devastated like all of u on this unfortunate incident. Hope Govt now provides security on Sialkot motorway 4 safety of citizens!" he tweeted.

Shehbaz's comments had been slammed on social media by the Pakistani Twitterati, who criticised the former Punjab chief minister for claiming credit for building the motorway instead of focusing on the crime and how to prevent it from happening again.

Immediately after his speech, federal minister Murad Saeed said that he accepted responsibility for the crime even though it had not taken place at the motorway.

Murad had expressed disappointment at Shehbaz's remarks, stating that it was unfortunate how the PML-N president was claiming credit for building the motorway and the forensic lab where the tests were conducted.

Shehbaz's comments had been slammed on social media by the Pakistani Twitterati, who criticised the former Punjab chief minister for claiming credit for building the motorway instead of focusing on the crime and how to prevent it from happening again.

Immediately after his speech, federal minister Murad Saeed said that he accepted responsibility for the crime even though it had not taken place at the motorway.

Murad had expressed disappointment at Shehbaz's remarks, stating that it was unfortunate how the PML-N president was claiming credit for building the motorway and the forensic lab where the tests were conducted.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/308101-shehbaz-apologises-for-insensitive-comment-on-motorway-rape-case

I see the Nooras have gone quiet. Is an apology enough?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Couldn’t properly contextualize my comment during NA speech & it came across as insensitive. I didn’t mean it that way & am sincerely sorry for it. I’m devastated like all of u on this unfortunate incident. Hope Govt now provides security on Sialkot motorway 4 safety of citizens!</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1305904490000904193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

cOuLdNt CoNtExTuAlIzE
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Couldn’t properly contextualize my comment during NA speech & it came across as insensitive. I didn’t mean it that way & am sincerely sorry for it. I’m devastated like all of u on this unfortunate incident. Hope Govt now provides security on Sialkot motorway 4 safety of citizens!</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1305904490000904193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

cOuLdNt CoNtExTuAlIzE

The behaviour of the Nooras yesterday in parliament was truly disgusting. You wouldn't have believed that they were talking about a disgusting attack.
 
I know that right now everyone is in Mob justice mood but i am still going to voice an unpopular view which people would lynch me for, but these rapes have been occurring in Pakistan for the last 20-30-40 years, why is there so much outrage now? How long will this anger and fiery last for? 2-3 weeks?

The nature of the crime and the history of the crime and the history of the criminals. It will last longer than 2-3 weeks, people are absolutely fed up of criminal leniency.
 
Shahbaz is such a cruel and braindead person. Instead of sympathising with the victim and showing some compassion, he said that the motorway on which the rape took place was built by Mian.

I think being in power for so long has that effect on some people, become in different to peoples suffering.

Sharif brothers are absolute morons.
 
Law enforcement agencies have recorded the initial statement of the wife of the key suspect in the motorway gang-rape case, Abid Malhi, officials said on Thursday. She was taken into custody on Wednesday night.

Hasnain Haider, a deputy superintendent (DSP) of the Crime Investigation Agency's (CIA), said that Abid Malhi's wife was arrested from the house of the suspect's parents.

In her initial statement, she said that she was unaware of Abid's whereabouts who — according to her — escaped when law enforcement officials conducted a raid. After Abid escaped, his wife came to Manga Mandi in Lahore.

She further said that she has not been in contact with Abid, who continues to evade arrest.
 
Jinnay Lahore ni vaykya... bach raho. After this incident, I'm steering clear from this place... Sound like another Delhi, somewhere not to visit with your womenfolk
 
Jinnay Lahore ni vaykya... bach raho. After this incident, I'm steering clear from this place... Sound like another Delhi, somewhere not to visit with your womenfolk

Delhi is at a whole other level. Hopefully, Lahore or any city never reaches that level.
 
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Main accused in motorway gang rape case Abid Malhi has once again managed to avoid being arrested.

According to sources the police had received information about the arrival of Abid Malhi in Raja Jang area in Kasur, the main accused involved in the motorway gang rape case. The accused came in the area but on suspicion of police presence fled into the fields.

According to Dunya News sources, due to incompetence of Punjab police, Abid Malhi, the main accused in the motorway gang rape case, has once again got out of hands.

Police had received information that accused Abid was coming to Raja Jang village last night, the officers ambushed his relative s house. However, on suspicion of police presence, accused Abid Malhi fled the area.

After the escape of accused Abid Malhi, a heavy contingent of police personnel conducted a search operation for five hours but the accused managed to escape again.
 
Pakistan outcry over police victim-blaming of gang-raped mother

Pakistan is in shock after robbers gang-raped a woman in front of her children near a motorway. But in a country where sexual violence towards women is common, why has this incident caused people to come out onto the streets and demand change, asks the BBC's Saira Asher.

Women in Pakistan are often advised by family members or relatives not to be out late at night, or to make sure they have a male companion with them for their safety.

But when a top police official, charged with finding the attackers, implied the victim had been partly to blame for being out after dark alone, it ignited fury.

Comments that previously may not have been publicly questioned are now being called out as victim-blaming.

"Blaming the victim, judging a woman's character to determine whether she was a victim; these are rooted in our society for decades," says Moneeza Ahmed, who is part of a feminist collective.

"So the backlash is a sign that our society is listening, changing and a lot more women are speaking up."

What happened in the 'motorway rape'?
At around 3am on 9 September, the woman ran out of fuel on a motorway leading out of the eastern city of Lahore. Her two children were with her.

She called her relatives in Gujranwala who advised her to call the motorway emergency numbers and also set off to help her.

According to the complaint registered with the police by one of the woman's relatives, the car was broken into by two men in their early- to mid-30s who stole money and jewellery she had on her. They raped her in front of her two children in a nearby field, and then escaped.

Police say she is still traumatised, though she did provide them with some basic descriptions of her attackers.

The next day the most senior police official in Lahore, Umer Sheikh, appeared in front of the media and implied that she had been partly to blame. He questioned why she had not taken a busier road, given that she had been alone with her children, or checked her fuel before departing.

In several TV appearances he reiterated these points, also adding that the woman, who is a resident of France, seemed to be operating under the impression Pakistan was as safe as France.

The reaction was like nothing seen in the country before and came from all quarters.

On social media people called him out for his victim-blaming.

Federal Minister of Human Rights Shireen Mazari said on Twitter: "For an officer to effectively blame a woman for being gang-raped by saying she should have taken the GT Road or question as to why she went out in the night with her children is unacceptable & have taken up this issue. Nothing can ever rationalise the crime of rape. That's it."

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also condemned the remarks, as did a host of others.

Ms Ahmed says she and others are fighting against "a patriarchal mind-set; women being blamed for rape, or not being able to go out at night with her kids, or being called promiscuous if she does".

'Brave women' demanding change
An apology this week for his comments has done little to stem the anger directed at the police chief.

"Representatives from all political parties making this point on television, activists, academics; it was a beautiful coming together of brave women," says Reema Omer, legal adviser for the South Asia programme at the International Committee of Jurists.

Protest marches are being held in major cities across the country. There are demands for reforms to the police, and to the medical-legal, court and prison systems.

For the victim, this could all amount to nothing. Few rape cases are ever prosecuted in Pakistan, and even fewer successfully.

Federal Minister Fawad Chaudry said in the National Assembly this week that there are an average of 5,000 rape cases registered every year and that 5% lead to convictions. Rights group say the true figure is even lower, pointing out that many rape cases are never brought to the attention of the police.

Women fear humiliation from police officers and social judgement if they go public.

Speaking to BBC Urdu, lawyer and social activist Hina Jillani said training was required to sensitise the police and judiciary to crimes like rape. And to improve forensic evidence collection and the methodology of investigation to improve conviction rates.

In 2002, Mukhtar Mai's case made international headlines when she decided to take legal action against the men who had gang raped her on the orders of a village council.

After a lengthy legal battle - already an extraordinary act in a country where many women raped take their lives instead of reporting their cases - in 2011 five of the six men charged with raping her were acquitted because of a lack of evidence.

But the reaction to the motorway rape, as its come to be known, or to the victim-blaming, would have been inconceivable when Mukhtar Mai's case hit world headlines.

In recent years, Pakistan has seen the rise of a more vocal and social-media savvy group of feminists who are challenging the social norms that keep women's freedoms severely restricted.

"Now we have women who are expressing themselves on social media and going on mainstream media and it has shaped our discourse," says Ms Omer.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54186609.
 
The prime suspect of the Lahore Motorway incident, Abid Ali, remains at large even after 10 days have passed since the crime occurred – when two armed men allegedly gang-raped a woman on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway before robbing her of money and other valuables.

Police conducted search operations in the different areas of Sheikhupura, Kasur, and Nankana Sahib after receiving information and evidence related to the presence of the accused in the aforementioned areas.

However, law enforcement agencies have not yet been able to apprehend Abid. On the other hand, the scope of the investigation for the prime accused has been extended to other provinces where Punjab Police is in touch with the police forces of other provinces to tighten the search operation.

To ensure the suspect does not evade arrest, the entry and exit routes of Punjab have been blocked.

Read more: Prime suspect in Lahore motorway rape may change appearance to evade arrest

Nankana Sahib police spokesperson said that raided the house of Abid's sister-in-law in the city last night after receiving a tip-off about his presence in the area. However, police were not able to arrest him.

Abid may change appearance to fool authorities, say police
Police also suspect that the accused may change his appearance in order to dodge police, therefore, various pictures of Abid in disguises have been shared.

These images have been sent out via WhatsApp and plastered across police stations so that if anyone spots someone bearing resemblance to any of the photos, they may easily inform authorities.

Among the four photos distributed, one shows Abid with his original face and hairstyle, a second one with a bald head and moustache, another where he is clean-shaved with a bald head, and the last with a French beard. In all four, his primary features have not been altered.

To date, authorities have taken four men into custody, of whom one has confessed to involvement in the horrific crime.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/308731-mo...ct-remains-in-the-wind-10-days-after-incident
 
LAHORE: Inspector General Punjab (IGP) Inam Ghani has tasked the police teams of all 36 districts of the province with apprehending the prime suspect in the motorway rape incident, it emerged on Tuesday.

The suspect, Abid Malhi, has been on the run and a special investigation team assigned to the job has so far failed to arrest him despite close to two weeks having passed since the shocking rape and robbery incident on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway, The News reported on Tuesday.

On September 9, Abid, along with accomplice Shafqat Ali, had allegedly gang-raped a woman stranded on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway with her children before robbing her.

The accomplice, Shafqat, is in police custody and has confessed to the crime.

The incident sent shockwaves across Pakistan and sparked major protests, with many demanding capital punishment for the perpetrators.

The incident also prompted a nationwide conversation on sexual abuse and rape culture, which intensified when the Lahore police chief made several remarks blaming the victim for the incident.

With the case still wide open nearly two weeks after the incident, the provincial police chief has written to all field formation commanders for assistance.

His letter, titled: “assistance in the arrest of the accused involved in Sialkot motorway rape case”, states that: “In furtherance of an investigation of the case FIR No.1369/20, u/s 376-ii/392 PPC registered in Gujjarpura Police Station, Lahore, one of the prime accused was identified as Muhammad Abid Malhi s/o Muhammad Akbar, who is still absconding. There is every probability that the accused might have cloaked himself in a different look and hiding at someplace”.

Read more: Motorway rape case: Police fail to nab key suspect Abid Ali even after over 10 days

“Sanctuaries available to the above fugitive from law range from prisons, shelter homes, shrines, Imambargahs and madrassas, to moving theatres, circus, melas and Urs throughout Punjab,” reads the letter.

The IGP has also ordered his field formations to ensure strict compliance and keep a functional liaison with the special investigation team headed by DIG Investigations Lahore Shehzada Sultan.

The police chief attached photographs and some of the likely guises of the accused with the letter to help in the manhunt.

Moreover, in order to broadcast the basic information compendium of the case on all cable networks, a small TVC is also being emailed to all regions.
 
There was another gang rape in a village in Sarghoda where the thieves gang raped a lady..
 
A sad and disgusting incident no doubt but nothing to do with the government. By this logic, BJP government in India or the US government are shamed to the extreme due to the high numbers of sexual abuse in India and the likes of Trump, Clinton etc linked to a proven peado.

It is the government’s responsibility to fix policing and emergency services.
 
Why is rape so common in Pakistan and India?

Back on the original subject, it is pathetic that the main culprit is still at large.
 
KARACHI: Two men allegedly gang-raped a 22-year-old woman after kidnapping her from the city's upscale area, Clifton, it emerged on Tuesday.

According to the police, the victim was kidnapped from the area at 9:30pm after which she was taken to a flat and over there was subjected to sexual violence.

The victim said she was waiting for a bus to go home when three men, on board a vehicle, abducted her, according to police.

After having gang-raped her, the suspects left her at the spot where they kidnapped her, police said, adding that the girl went to her house following the incident.

The police said that the victim had filed a report today — a day after the incident — and was sent to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where initial reports confirmed that she was subjected to sexual assault.

The FIR was lodged against three accused, two of them assaulted her after kidnapping her and the third one facilitated them, police said.

The DNA tests of the victim have also been conducted.

According to the police, the victim and the family have wished not to be named.

"The woman has identified influential suspects [...] They will be caught soon," police said.
 
LAHORE: Many officers in the Lahore police are upset about what they say ‘aggressive and unbecoming’ conduct of newly appointed chief Umar Sheikh.

The police force panicked when the CCPO had some officials arrested and put them behind the bars while bypassing departmental procedure. He also allegedly used ‘improper words’ against senior officers in several formal and informal meetings.

Fed up with the behaviour of the Lahore CCPO, two police officials — training assistant sub inspector (T-ASI) and a head constable — complained to IGP Inam Ghani about the CCPO’s behaviour.

Meanwhile, the transfer of Lahore admin SSP Liaquat Malik late on Wednesday added fuel to fire. His transfer shocked the senior officers of the provincial capital police when they came to know that the CCPO had used improper words in his letter sent to the IGP.

The CCPO recommended to the Punjab police chief to place departmental action in the CR dossier of Mr Liaquat to disturb his promotion matter. This act further irritated the senior police officers in Lahore. He sent a copy to the Punjab chief minister too for further consideration, an action/punishment the other police officers declared excessive and uncalled for.

Mr Sheikh in the strong- worded letter mentioned Liaquat Malik as ‘irresponsible and non-professional officer’. He claimed that the SSP admin lacked ability to prepare an official presentation of a crime incident. The CCPO stated that he had asked Mr Liaquat to prepare a brief of incident of motorway gang-rape case that he (Umar Sheikh) was to present before the committee of the Senate.

The officer allegedly gave wrong details of the incident that could be embarrassing for the Punjab as well as the Lahore police, he said.

“Such presentation of distorted facts to the members of parliament standing committee on law and justice would have caused extreme embarrassment to the worthy IGP Punjab and the CCPO Lahore, called to brief the committee,” reads the official letter.

There were some reports that both sides exchanged arguments when the Lahore CCPO used ‘improper words’ against Mr Liaquat and the junior staff at a meeting a couple of days back. Following this correspondence, the admin SSP Lahore refused to work under the command of Mr Sheikh.

Consequently, the IGP transferred Mr Liaquat and posted him as assistant inspector general (AIG) discipline at the Central Police Office (CPO) against an existing vacancy late on Wednesday.

An official privy to the information said that the series of such incidents in which the CCPO adopted an aggressive policy prompted some other senior officers of the Lahore police to demand their transfer from the provincial capital to any other suitable place. He said two SSPs and an SP also approached the CPO while refusing to work under the command of the Lahore police chief.An application of police inspector and former SHO of Gujjarpura Syed Ahmad Raza Jafri is pending for approval for registration of FIR against the Lahore CCPO for the last one week or so.

CCPO Umar Sheikh said all his efforts were for the restoration of public confidence in the police force. He said his prime target are the forces resisting change.

“The police reforms are not possible unless we all overcome the forces of the status quo,” the CCPO said.

Source DAWN
 
LAHORE: Almost 20 days have passed since the motorway gang-rape incident but the eight special teams formed to arrest the key suspect, Abid Ali, have failed to do so with the prime suspect having reportedly dodged police three times in various cities of Punjab.

On September 9, two armed men had gang-raped a woman in front of her children after her car broke down and the family was stranded on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. The assailants fled after the sexual assault, taking her money and other valuables as well.

Abid — the main suspect whose sketches with different hairstyles and facial hair were released by police almost 10 days ago — slipped through the authorities' fingers thrice, sources informed Geo News. A Rs2.5-million reward was announced in a video to anyone who had information on the alleged rapist.

The eight special teams — comprising personnel from the Punjab Police's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), Special Branch, and the Quick Response Force — almost caught him thrice in Kasur, Nankana Sahib, and Sheikhupura but he managed to evade police each time, sources added.

So far, police have blacklisted the suspect, blocked his and his wife's computerised national identity cards (CNICs), detained his wife, daughter, father, brother, and brother-in-law, and arrested accomplice Shafqat Ali.

However, authorities in Lahore and across Punjab have failed in nabbing Abid and he continues to be on the run.

Integrated network, rapid-response teams
Almost a week ago, the deputy inspector-general (DIG) of police for investigations, Shahzada Sultan, had expressed hope, saying the fugitive would also be arrested soon like his accomplice.

Sultan — who heads a six-member special investigation team set up by the inspector-general (IG) of police for Punjab, Inam Ghani — had said at least eight designated raid teams were working to search for the prime accused.

The Punjab Police had also laid down an integrated network, including rapid-response teams, in different districts across the province based on tip-offs about the presence of Abid, as well as at his known hideouts.

DIG Sultan had noted at the time that two suspects have been found to be involved so far in the case.

The horrific gang-rape incident sent shockwaves across Pakistan, prompting protests in various cities and many demanding capital punishment for the perpetrators. A conversation on sexual abuse was also taken up in mainstream debates on national TV.
 
Knowing Pakistan, the rat on the run could have friends even within the special investigation team.
 
The Senate human rights panel was irked on Monday during a briefing on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway gang-rape case provided by Lahore Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh, who once again seemed to fault the victim for the incident. The members also took exception to the "contradictory" police findings, which they observed had created "doubts and suspicions" about the investigation.

Earlier this month, a woman was gang-raped on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children while she was waiting for help after calling the motorway police's helpline 130 when her car developed a fault.

On Monday, Sheikh was summoned by the committee to provide a briefing on the progress of the case that sparked outrage across the country and also exposed the lack of security on a key route.

During the hearing, the CCPO was berated by the panel for expressing his "presumption" that the incident took place because the victim "was travelling late at night without her husband's permission". Members of the committee asked him if the victim had said this in her statement at which Sheikh said that it was his assumption.

When the committee reprimanded him for giving his "personal opinions" instead of stating facts of the case, Sheikh backtracked and said that "he had been told that the victim had left late at night because she had to talk to her husband on video call".

The committee members said that providing security to citizens was the job of the State, regardless of the time and reason behind travelling.

Sheikh informed the committee that the police had identified the culprits within 72 hours through geofencing, DNA testing, fingerprints and foot tracking technology. He said that one of the suspects, Shafqat Ali alias Bagga, was under arrest while the main suspect Babar Malik was absconding. Committee member Ainee Marri pointed out that the main suspect's name was Abid Ali, but Sheikh had repeatedly referred to him as Babar Malik.

"Is the main suspect [named] Abid or Babar? You are investigating this case and you don't know the name of the main suspect," she said.

Sheikh said that if the victim had called 15, police would have arrived in time. He said that a police team arrived at the scene in 28 minutes. The committee said that in a previous meeting, the panel was told that the police had arrived on the scene in six minutes, adding that police statements were "contradictory" and were creating "doubts" about the investigation.

Members of the panel told the CCPO not to "misguide" the committee.

"Even the US' police cannot reach the site in six minutes, how can we?" Sheikh responded.

CCPO Sheikh then apologised to the committee and said that a joint session should be summoned so he can apologise to all lawmakers at once.

This is not the first time that the CCPO has given controversial statements regarding the case. Earlier, he had invited criticism when he pontificated that the victim had failed to take due precautions before setting off for her journey.

According to the Lahore police chief’s logic, the woman could have avoided being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He said she should have taken the more populated GT Road to Gujranwala instead of going via motorway, and that she ought to have checked how much fuel her car had before setting off.

Later, in another conversation with journalists, he had said that the victim was travelling with her children at a late hour because she "thought it was France".

https://www.dawn.com/news/1582117/m...t-husbands-permission-ccpo-tells-senate-panel
 
LAHORE: The city's top cop has once again landed himself in hot waters during a hearing of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights to talk about the motorway rape case, on Monday.

Lahore's Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Mohammad Umar Sheikh, spoke about the authorities' response time to a distress call made by a woman when her car broke down on the M11 Motorway on September 9, saying at one point that it was approximately 28 minutes whereas the officers who reached the site had said they did so under six minutes.

The hearing was held to discuss a gang-rape incident earlier this month when two armed men allegedly raped a woman in front of her children when she was stranded on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. The horrific case has led to country-wide protests and calls for reforms in laws pertaining to the perpetrators of sexual assault.

In the hearing, CCPO Sheikh also said the motorway rape survivor was travelling without her husband's permission.

To which, PPP Senator Krishna Kumari Kohli — a member of the Senate committee — reprimanded him over his comment, telling him not to make any such assumptions in the future. "Did this lady tell you," she asked.

"Do not make assumptions like that," Kishoo Bai told him when he said he had made a "guess".

Not only that but Lahore's top cop also forgot the name of Abid Malhi, the prime suspect who has been in the wind for 20 days and whom the eight special teams — comprising personnel from all of the Punjab Police's departments — have failed to apprehend despite spotting him at least thrice across the province.

Addressing the committee members, Sheikh said: "If [police helpline] 15 had received the call, we could have reached that place in 25 minutes. The first call to 15 was at 2:47am made by a passerby and the 15 officials reached at 3:15am."

To which, Marri said either the CCPO had no information or the committee had been misinformed.

"The call came at 2:47am and the first [Dolphin Force] officer arrived at 2:53am. I'm telling you the 100% truth," the CCPO responded.

"Then your cops are lying," Marri shot back at him.

"My job is to stop the crime and catch the culprits," Sheikh replied. "Neither is there a CCTV [camera] at the toll plaza nor is an actual toll tax receipt given.

"Five technologies were used in the motorway rape case; geo-fencing, DNA filing, and fingerprint technology. Even the American police do not respond [to a crime] in six minutes".

The committee members expressed anger over the contradiction in the police officer's statement.

"You say the police arrived at the scene in 28 minutes but the police said they had reached in six minutes," the committee said. "The police tried to misguide the committee".

When the CCPO apologised once more, Marri said: "You don't have to apologise again and again."

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the chairperson of the Senate committee, said it had summoned Sheikh using its legal authority. "Don't tell us you if went to a committee or to the court. I am a lawyer and have had criminal cases' practice."

PMAP Senator Usman Kakar, also part of the committee, opined that the policeman should have been punished considering the words he had used.

"The CCPO only apologised out of fear of the court," Kakar said.

Sheikh told the committee that Abid's data had successfully been found from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency's (PFSA) 2013 records. "The first case of Daniel Pearl in Pakistan was solved with [the use of] DNA," he said.

"If Abid was involved in 2013, why was he released," asked Khokhar.

The cop once again joined his hands in front of the committee in a bid to seek forgiveness. "Babar Malhi's blood and DNA have also matched," he said.

At which, the committee members paused, in shock, and asked: "Babar Malhi or Abid Malhi?"

The cop responded: "Forgive me my sister, I have joined my hands in front of you, I beg you. I am 56 years old and my memory, too, is according to my age.

"I have sought forgiveness from the committee and apologised. Let me just once stand in front of the joint meeting and I will apologise in front of everyone there."

Upon further probing, he said: "What if there is an outrage if I say something? I have told the chief justice who is responsible. I will introduce court-martial law in the Punjab Police.

"There are 500 people and something or the other gets leaked," he said of his police force. "If it was in my power, I wouldn't spare anyone. This is what will happen to anyone who wishes to bring reforms," he added, referring to himself.

Speaking further on the incident, he said the inquiry number was of the motorway but the rescue vehicles come under the Frontier Works Organization (FWO).

"In this case, too, an FWO officer was taken on the woman's conference call. He told her he would send a car.

"That car was on the M2 [motorway] and it took a long time to reach the site," Sheikh said. "The crux of the matter is that this alert should have been to 15."
 
Court bars coverage of motorway rape incident following application by govt.

Is this the change Immy promised? Just to hide their failures, they are banning the coverage of this horrible crime. Shame on them.
 
LAHORE: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Friday restrained all television channels from airing news about the Sialkot motorway gang-rape incident in the light of an order passed by the trial court on the request of the police.

“All satellite TV channels (news & current affairs) are therefore directed to comply with the orders of the honorable Anti-Terrorism Court, Lahore, regarding Sialkot motorway incident in letter and spirit and refrain from airing any content with regard to the instant case, in future,” said a directive issued by Pemra’s General Manager (Operations-Broadcast Media) Muhammad Tahir.

Investigating Officer Zulfiqar Cheema had filed an application before the ATC seeking a ban on media coverage of the incident. The IO pleaded that the incident was a heinous offence and the media was indulged in reckless coverage of the instant case. He claimed that the media reporting would damage and diminish the evidence so far collected by the police.

Cheema further told the court that the media coverage of the incident had been creating hindrance in the arrest of the prime suspect.

Deputy Prosecutor General Waqar Abid Bhatti supported the stance of the IO and relied upon section 13(2) of Punjab Witness Protection Act 2018.

The section reads, “The reporting of the identity of a person connected with an offence of terrorism or a sexual offence or the identity of the members of his family shall be prohibited in print, electronic or other media, if the court is satisfied that the quality or voluntariness of the evidence of the person concerned will diminish thereby.”

In his decision, Presiding Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta admitted the contention of the IO and observed that it was an offence relating to sex and certainly due to media coverage the victim and his family will also be disgraced.

The judge also noted that one of suspects had been shifted to jail for identification parade and if media coverage of the case was not stopped, it would certainly diminish the evidentiary worth of the material collected by the prosecution.

“So chairman Pemra is hereby directed to stop the coverage of case FIR No.1369/2020 of Sept 9, 2020, offence under section 392, 376 (II), 427, 34 of PPC and 7 Anti-terrorism Act 1997, police station Gujjarpura, Lahore immediately on electronic media, print and social media,” wrote the judge in his verdict.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1582930/pemra-stops-tv-channels-from-airing-motorway-rape-news
 
Another horrific story.

==

BAHAWALPUR: A 21-year-old expecting mother, who was allegedly raped, died when her unborn baby was reportedly forcibly aborted, police said on Friday.

According to police, the incident took place in Bahawalpur's Ahmadpur East Tehsil.

The woman's family has alleged that their daughter was raped for five months by a man "pretending to tutor her".

Read more: Another woman gang-raped in Punjab's Jaranwala

They have further alleged that their daughter was given medicine obtained from a quack which led to the abortion and ultimately, her death.

According to the woman's parents, she was in a critical condition when she was taken to Bahawalpur's Victoria Hospital, where she died.

A case has been registered against four suspects, the police said, adding that the main suspect and three of his accomplices have escaped.
 
Good decision by IK. The victim had been begging for privacy since the start and was even more hrut that the privacy wasn't respected and from what I have read the only reason she agreed to go to court was if none of this was reported.
 
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When you think about it, India, Pakistan - they're all the same. Women's rights are non-existent.
 
LAHORE: Motorway police said a kidnapping attempt was foiled near Sahianwala on Sunday, after a couple of persons tried to lure a woman on to a bus with promises of a fake job.

The woman called the motorway police helpline after she got suspicious, following which the accused fled the scene, police added.

After taking the required measures, police handed the woman over to her family members.

Last month, two armed men allegedly raped a woman stranded with her children on the motorway before robbing her of money and other valuables, according to a police report on the incident.

The woman, a resident of Gujranwala, was on her way back to the city from Lahore's Ring Road at 01:30AM, when her car ran out of petrol near Gujjarpura around an hour later.

The woman waited for her husband and phoned a relative for help, who advised her to call the Motorway Police. She subsequently called the Motorway Police's 130 emergency helpline for assistance, but was told by the operator that she could not be provided help as the emergency beat had not been assigned to anyone.

While she was stranded on the road, two unidentified armed persons are believed to have arrived on foot from a nearby area and smashed the window of her car, forcing the woman and her children out of the vehicle. They then cut through the fence along the motorway and raped the woman in the fields nearby in the presence of her children, the FIR of the incident says.

The woman had said that the men then deprived her of Rs100,000, jewellery and ATM cards before fleeing.

The incident stoked anger and triggered protests around the country, with many people questioning why the motorway police had been unable to prevent the crime from occurring.
 
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Prime suspect Abid Malhi arrested from Faisalabad
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">According to police, Abid Malhi has been arrested from Faisalabad and will be shifted to Lahore.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARYNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ARYNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BreakingNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BreakingNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Motorwayrapecase?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Motorwayrapecase</a></p>— ARY News (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ARYNEWSOFFICIAL/status/1315664868121415682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">According to police, Abid Malhi has been arrested from Faisalabad and will be shifted to Lahore.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARYNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ARYNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BreakingNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BreakingNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Motorwayrapecase?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Motorwayrapecase</a></p>— ARY News (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ARYNEWSOFFICIAL/status/1315664868121415682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Good job. We got there in the end.
 
LAHORE: Abid Malhi, the prime suspect in the motorway rape case, revealed details of how he had managed to hide from the law for almost a month before he got caught by police on Monday evening.

According to sources, Malhi revealed to police that he spent a month travelling through various cities in Punjab by using public transport, wearing a mask over his face.

The motorway rape prime suspect revealed that he fled to Nankana Sahib after allegedly raping the woman while his accomplice, Shafqat, escaped to Dialpur.

With the police on his trail, Malhi escaped from Nankana Sahib and went to Bahawalpur, where he managed to evade the police and avoid recognition by wearing a mask over his face.

Motorway rape incident: Lack of coordination between LEAs exposed

"I travelled through various cities in public transport," sources quoted the suspect as saying, adding that he ultimately got caught after he ran out of money and was forced to contact his wife.

"Me, Shafqat and Bala Mistri went [to the highway] to commit robberies near Karol village," he said, according to sources. "Mistri did not proceed with us. However, Shafqat and I went towards the jungle in Karol."

Malhi disclosed that he and Shafqat robbed two to three truck drivers near Karol village near the motorway, before they sexually assaulted the woman.

He said that the car's flashing indicators caught his attention and upon seeing a woman inside, Malhi told her to come out. Confirming initial reports of the crime that had been reported in media, he said when the woman refused to come out of the car, he broke the vehicle's window and dragged her outside.

"After robbing the woman of her watch, jewellery and money, we told her to go down the motorway," he said, according to sources. "When the woman refused to do so, we took her children off the motorway, and the woman followed to protect them."

Read more: ATC approves 14-day judicial remand of Lahore motorway gang rape suspect

Malhi then revealed that the suspects gang-raped the woman when she came down the motorway to protect her children. The suspect revealed that he and his accomplice fled when the Dolphin Police force arrived and fired shots into the air.

Abid Malhi arrested through scientific investigative methods: Police

Meanwhile, Lahore police spokesperson said that Malhi had been arrested through scientific investigative methods.

"A special investigation team led by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Shahzada Sultan worked day and night to crack the case," the spokesperson said.

He said that Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) SP Asim Iftikhar played "a crucial role" in arresting Malhi, and that police conducted raids in Lahore, Faisalabad, Chakwal, Gujarat, Sialkot, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, and Bahawalnagar to arrest the motorway rape suspect.

Read more: Woman robbed, raped after car ran out of petrol in Lahore's Gujjarpura

"Further investigation will proceed in light of the evidence and the law," he said.

The spokesperson said that Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar was forwarded a daily report on the matter ever since the tragedy took place. "Inspector-General Punjab Inam Ghani is grateful to the public and media for giving time [to authorities] to arrest the suspect," the spokesperson said.

CM Buzdar and IGP Punjab have announced an award for the special investigation team and the CIA officers involved in the case, he added.

Police arrest Abid Malhi

Police announced that the prime suspect in the motorway rape case, Abid Malhi, was arrested earlier on Monday from Faisalabad. Malhi managed to escape arrest for one month before he was caught and taken to Lahore, where his DNA test will be taken.

The Intelligence Bureau (IB), Special Branch of the police and other agencies had done a recce of the suspect and tipped off Punjab police about Malhi's whereabouts before they arrived in Faisalabad to apprehend him.

Read more: Lahore motorway gang-rape: LHC slams 'failed' police patrolling system

Sources told Geo News that a trap had been laid out for the motorway rape prime suspect, which ultimately led to his arrest. Sources informed Geo News that Malhi's wife was taken to Faisalabad by police after the suspect told her during a phone call that he would meet her there.

When Malhi arrived in the city to meet her, he was nabbed by police officials in plain clothes.

According to Geo News correspondent Ahmad Faraz, Malhi was arrested without any resistance. He was apprehended easily and taken from Faisalabad to Lahore.
 
A Lahore anti-terrorism court on Tuesday sent the prime suspect in the motorway gang-rape case, Abid Malhi, to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

The accused was brought to court under tight security, with a black hood covering his face that was removed during the proceedings. During the hearing, Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta approved a request by the prosecution to hold an identity parade of the suspect and directed that the process be completed as soon as possible.

The court also handed over the other suspect in the case, Shafqat, to police on physical remand till October 28.

A day earlier, Lahore's Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) had arrested Malhi from Manga Mandi, approximately 33 kilometres from the provincial capital. The arrest came after police released Malhi’s parents, brothers and wife, allowing them to use their old mobile phone SIMs in order to trap him.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD

The rape — which had occurred last month — had sparked countrywide outrage after a mother of two was gang-raped off the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children after her car ran out of fuel on the way to Gujranwala late at night.

Speaking to Dawn, Punjab Operations Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sohail Sukhera said the police’s strategy of releasing Malhi's family members proved successful when the suspect contacted his mother on the phone.

He said the police’s special teams that were on high alert, traced the call to Faisalabad, where the suspect was hiding.

The DIG said during the conversation, Malhi’s mother told him that she and other family members had been released by police. At this, Malhi expressed his desire to meet her at Manga Mandi, Sukhera said, adding the suspect reached his mother's house as per their plan.

Sukhera said as soon as Malhi entered the house, police teams, which had already been deployed, raided the premises and arrested the suspect without facing any resistance.

Pemra order suspended

Separately, the Lahore High Court suspended an order by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), which barred all television channels from airing news of the case.

The directions were issued by Pemra earlier this month in the light of an order passed by the trial court on the request of the police.

In today's hearing of a petition challenging Pemra's order, LHC Chief Justice Qasim Khan said that media coverage cannot be restricted as the Constitution gives citizens the right to information.

He also summoned a record of the speeches and press conferences held by ministers and government officials, saying "why were speeches by ministers and advisers aired when Pemra had imposed restrictions?"

He added that media should not run pictures of the suspect or members of affected families while covering the gang-rape case.

Hunt for suspects

The incident had caused a countrywide outpouring of anger and brought sexual violence against women into national focus. Abid and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga are the main suspects in the case.

Abid, who was leading a gang of four, is also wanted to police in at least 10 other criminal cases registered at various police stations of Punjab.

Shafqat was arrested after the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Police raided a house in Okara district. He confessed to the crime before his DNA matched the samples collected from the crime scene.

A senior officer had told Dawn that the CTD carried out an intelligence-based operation (IBO) and arrested Shafqat from his sister’s house in Depalpur. He further said that Abid had called Shafqat many times before and after committing the rape.

During interrogation, Shafqat told detectives that Abid had first raped the woman and then asked him to commit the offence while threatening him that he would shoot him (Shafqat) for not committing the crime or showing sympathy for the victim.

As they had just raped the woman, they noticed the personnel of the Dolphin Squad reaching the spot, the official said. As soon as a Dolphin official fired a warning shot into the air, both the suspects fled the scene and hid in a nearby jungle of Karol Ghati for two hours or so to avoid arrest. Then they left the place and reached Sheikhupura at the home of Abid Ali at Ghazi Kot, Qila Sattar Shah, in tehsil Ferozewala of Sheikhupura district. Abid had purchased this two-marla house some three years back.

Both Abid and Shafqat turned their mobile phones off. Shafqat left Abid’s house and reached Depalpur where he was employed at a cold storage. As more news of the crime appeared in the media, he preferred to stay away from his workplace and hid himself in the house of his sister who was probably unaware of his involvement in the crime, the officer informed Dawn. Abid also fled his house and went underground to avoid arrest when he came to know about the massive media coverage.

The third suspect, identified as Iqbal alias Bala, was “arrested” on the information provided by Shafqat during interrogation, an official had told Dawn. The official said he was not directly involved in the rape case, but being an active member of the gang he might disclose possible hideouts of Abid.

A fourth suspect, Waqarul Hasan, had surrendered to police while claiming his innocence and requested the authorities to conduct his DNA test to corroborate his claim.

The Lahore police reportedly released relatives and friends of two other suspects — Waqarul Hassan and his brother in-law Abbas — who were detained in connection with the case.
 
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Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the offering of rewards to police officials by the government for arresting Abid Malhi, one of the primary suspects in the Lahore motorway gang-rape.

During the hearing of a case pertaining to land grabbing by police, Justice Khan questioned why police should be rewarded for arresting a suspect when it was their responsibility to do so.

"Should a police officer wait for a reward before catching a suspect?" he questioned.

"Is it not the job of police to catch a suspect? If they don't do that, what will they do? This is a new technique by the Punjab government."

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD

On Monday, Lahore's Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) had arrested Malhi from Manga Mandi, approximately 33 kilometres from the provincial capital. The arrest came after police released Malhi’s parents, brothers and wife, allowing them to use their old mobile phone SIMs in order to trap him.

A spokesperson for the Lahore police said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Inspector General of Police Inam Ghani had announced an award for the special investigation team and the CIA officers involved in the case, according to a report by Geo News.

IGP Inam, who appeared before the court in today's hearing, was also reprimanded by Justice Khan. "It is strange that police is being rewarded for arresting a culprit," the chief justice told the provincial police chief.

"If this continues, policemen will first wait for a reward announcement and then nab suspects," the judge remarked.

The Lahore motorway rape, which happened last month, sparked countrywide outrage after a mother of two was gang-raped off the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children after her car ran out of fuel on the way to Gujranwala late at night.

Malhi, one of the primary suspects in the case, had managed to evade arrest for a month, prompting criticism of the police and other investigating agencies. Police had at first detained his family, including his parents and wife, in a bid to trace his whereabouts.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore, which is hearing the gang-rape case, had banned media coverage of the case after the investigating officer pleaded that irresponsible media coverage was damaging the progress and value of evidence so far collected.

Following the ATC order, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) restrained all television channels from airing news on the case.

The ban on media coverage was suspended soon after Malhi's arrest.

Abid 'surrendered' to police
Meanwhile, in a video message that surfaced last night, Abid Malhi's father, Akbar Ali, claimed that his son had not been caught by the police but had surrendered instead.

"My son called and told me that he was surrendering himself to the police. I advised him to come to meet me at 6:30pm. When he came to me in Manga Mandi, where I live, I told the police that Abid has come and I am surrendering him.

"I am a labourer and am old. I have daughters and they're in the [police] stations," he said and requested the police to release them from custody.

When asked about the veracity of the suspect's father's claim, IGP Inam did not respond.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1585019/i...rding-police-on-motorway-rape-suspects-arrest
 
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the offering of rewards to police officials by the government for arresting Abid Malhi, one of the primary suspects in the Lahore motorway gang-rape.

During the hearing of a case pertaining to land grabbing by police, Justice Khan questioned why police should be rewarded for arresting a suspect when it was their responsibility to do so.

"Should a police officer wait for a reward before catching a suspect?" he questioned.

"Is it not the job of police to catch a suspect? If they don't do that, what will they do? This is a new technique by the Punjab government."

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On Monday, Lahore's Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) had arrested Malhi from Manga Mandi, approximately 33 kilometres from the provincial capital. The arrest came after police released Malhi’s parents, brothers and wife, allowing them to use their old mobile phone SIMs in order to trap him.

A spokesperson for the Lahore police said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Inspector General of Police Inam Ghani had announced an award for the special investigation team and the CIA officers involved in the case, according to a report by Geo News.

IGP Inam, who appeared before the court in today's hearing, was also reprimanded by Justice Khan. "It is strange that police is being rewarded for arresting a culprit," the chief justice told the provincial police chief.

"If this continues, policemen will first wait for a reward announcement and then nab suspects," the judge remarked.

The Lahore motorway rape, which happened last month, sparked countrywide outrage after a mother of two was gang-raped off the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children after her car ran out of fuel on the way to Gujranwala late at night.

Malhi, one of the primary suspects in the case, had managed to evade arrest for a month, prompting criticism of the police and other investigating agencies. Police had at first detained his family, including his parents and wife, in a bid to trace his whereabouts.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore, which is hearing the gang-rape case, had banned media coverage of the case after the investigating officer pleaded that irresponsible media coverage was damaging the progress and value of evidence so far collected.

Following the ATC order, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) restrained all television channels from airing news on the case.

The ban on media coverage was suspended soon after Malhi's arrest.

Abid 'surrendered' to police
Meanwhile, in a video message that surfaced last night, Abid Malhi's father, Akbar Ali, claimed that his son had not been caught by the police but had surrendered instead.

"My son called and told me that he was surrendering himself to the police. I advised him to come to meet me at 6:30pm. When he came to me in Manga Mandi, where I live, I told the police that Abid has come and I am surrendering him.

"I am a labourer and am old. I have daughters and they're in the [police] stations," he said and requested the police to release them from custody.

When asked about the veracity of the suspect's father's claim, IGP Inam did not respond.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1585019/i...rding-police-on-motorway-rape-suspects-arrest

The LHC is as corrupt as any organisation in PK but on this occasion I agree with the.
 
LAHORE: Motorway rape victim has identified prime suspect Abid Malhi and his accomplice Shafqat Ali during an identification parade held at Camp Jail, The News reported on Thursday.

According to sources in the police department, the suspects were presented before the victim in line with at least ten others during the parade.

Read more: Suspect Abid Malhi discloses details of how he evaded arrest for a month

The victim had to identify the perpetrator in presence of magistrate and jail staff.

Abid Malhi, the prime suspect in the motorway gang rape case, was arrested from Manga Mandi after at least 33 days of hectic manhunt throughout the province by Punjab Police..

He was then sent on 14-day judicial remand by a Lahore court to hold an identity parade.

The key suspect Abid Malhi along with his accomplice Shafqat Ali had allegedly gang-raped the woman in front of her children on Lahore-Sialkot Motorway on September 9.

The incident occurred when her car ran out of petrol near Gujjarpura on the motorway while she was on her way back to Gujranwala from Lahore's Ring Road at 01:30 am.

Read more: Woman robbed, raped after the car ran out of petrol in Lahore's Gujjarpura

The woman waited for her husband and phoned a relative for help, who advised her to call the Motorway Police.

She subsequently called the Motorway Police's 130 emergency helpline for assistance but was told by the operator that she could not be provided help as the emergency beat had not been assigned to anyone.

While she was stranded on the road, two unidentified armed persons arrived on foot from a nearby area and smashed the window of her car, forcing the woman and her children out of the vehicle.

They then cut through the fence along the motorway and raped the woman in the fields nearby in the presence of her children, the FIR of the incident revealed.
 
Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh has been removed from his position and replaced by Ghulam Mehmood Dogar.

Sheikh was appointed in September to control street crime and tackle the encroachment mafia in the city but he failed at both.

According to a notification issued by the Punjab chief secretary, Sheikh has now been posted a the DIG of the Punjab Constabulary in Farooqabad.

Dogar, his replacement, was previously serving as the DIG of technical procurement at the CPO.

His few months in office were marked with spectacular PR disasters in the form of victim-blaming remarks, him apologising with folded hands before a Senate committee and a rise in street crime.

The most infamous of his comments came after a woman was raped in front of her children on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway on September 9.

He blamed the woman for leaving her house with petrol and not taking GT Road while travelling to Gujranwala at midnight.

Sheikh had said that the police would be using technology to control street crime in the city. However, his tenure saw street crime increasing.

He previously served as the Motorway Police DIG and director-general of counterterrorism at NACTA.


https://www.samaa.tv/news/2021/01/umar-sheikh-removed-as-lahore-ccpo/
 
Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh has been removed from his position and replaced by Ghulam Mehmood Dogar.

Sheikh was appointed in September to control street crime and tackle the encroachment mafia in the city but he failed at both.

According to a notification issued by the Punjab chief secretary, Sheikh has now been posted a the DIG of the Punjab Constabulary in Farooqabad.

Dogar, his replacement, was previously serving as the DIG of technical procurement at the CPO.

His few months in office were marked with spectacular PR disasters in the form of victim-blaming remarks, him apologising with folded hands before a Senate committee and a rise in street crime.

The most infamous of his comments came after a woman was raped in front of her children on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway on September 9.

He blamed the woman for leaving her house with petrol and not taking GT Road while travelling to Gujranwala at midnight.

Sheikh had said that the police would be using technology to control street crime in the city. However, his tenure saw street crime increasing.

He previously served as the Motorway Police DIG and director-general of counterterrorism at NACTA.


https://www.samaa.tv/news/2021/01/umar-sheikh-removed-as-lahore-ccpo/

I'm glad this guy is out. The crime has been unbelievably high apparently if news are to be believed.
 
Rapes continue unabated in Pakistan.

-Newly-wed woman abducted from rickshaw, raped at gunpoint

-Stepfather rapes daughter

-Cleric rapes minor, blackmails parents with indecent pictures of victim
 
Rapes continue unabated in Pakistan.

-Newly-wed woman abducted from rickshaw, raped at gunpoint

-Stepfather rapes daughter

-Cleric rapes minor, blackmails parents with indecent pictures of victim

So you mean in a country of nearly 220 million rapes won't happen? and will go down to zero?

Wow! I am afraid the world doesn't run on your moronic utopian view. For someone living in a place like Hong Kong which is seeing unrest with China, you do have a lot of time speaking trash about Pakistan.

But hey if there's anything EU disinfo taught us...
 
So you mean in a country of nearly 220 million rapes won't happen? and will go down to zero?

Wow! I am afraid the world doesn't run on your moronic utopian view. For someone living in a place like Hong Kong which is seeing unrest with China, you do have a lot of time speaking trash about Pakistan.

But hey if there's anything EU disinfo taught us...

What I mean is that everybody claims that Pakistan is an Islamic state and everybody in Pakistan claims to be so pious, righteous and say they are the biggest ashiq-e-rasool yet there is widespread violence, heinous crime and killings in the country. Everybody wears the badge of ‘Islamic Republic’ on their sleeves but they actions are the complete opposite? Why?

For your information, US-backed miscreants who destroyed property and set rivals on fire are all behind bar. Their so called revolution is dead. There is no unrest in Hong Kong.
 
What I mean is that everybody claims that Pakistan is an Islamic state and everybody in Pakistan claims to be so pious, righteous and say they are the biggest ashiq-e-rasool yet there is widespread violence, heinous crime and killings in the country. Everybody wears the badge of ‘Islamic Republic’ on their sleeves but they actions are the complete opposite? Why?

For your information, US-backed miscreants who destroyed property and set rivals on fire are all behind bar. Their so called revolution is dead. There is no unrest in Hong Kong.

USA, India and UK claim to be secular states.

Is every citizen secular?

Law abiding? No rapes?

You are talking nonsense.
 
USA, India and UK claim to be secular states.

Is every citizen secular?

Law abiding? No rapes?

You are talking nonsense.

They are not hypocrites and they do not wear their morals and righteousness on their sleeves. Also, these countries are looked down upon by most Pakistanis and they are regarded as having loose morals.

However, the kind of dishonesty, corruption, apathy and cruelty that happens in Pakistan does not happen in these secular states. So, there is a massive contradiction.

I live in a secular city too but I have never heard of honor killings, acid attacks, bonded labor, dysfunctional police, school and hospital infrastructure, fake pilots, fake medicines, hoarding of food items and illegal occupation of land.
 
They are not hypocrites and they do not wear their morals and righteousness on their sleeves. Also, these countries are looked down upon by most Pakistanis and they are regarded as having loose morals.

However, the kind of dishonesty, corruption, apathy and cruelty that happens in Pakistan does not happen in these secular states. So, there is a massive contradiction.

I live in a secular city too but I have never heard of honor killings, acid attacks, bonded labor, dysfunctional police, school and hospital infrastructure, fake pilots, fake medicines, hoarding of food items and illegal occupation of land.

They have invaded countries in the name of democracy whilst installing pro western dictators in others.

Give it a rest.
 
They have invaded countries in the name of democracy whilst installing pro western dictators in others.

Give it a rest.

That is the fault of the policymakers; the average Joe is morally superior to every Muslim Pakistani.
 
LAHORE: Punjab police distributed cash rewards among the police personnel who arrested the accused in the motorway rape case on Tuesday.

Inspector General (IG) Punjab Inam Ghani distributed appreciation certificates and Rs2.5 million among 40 officers and personnel who played an active role in solving the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway incident.

The IG Punjab said that the case was challenging but law enforcers served their duties with professionalism and dedication

According to APP, officers belonging to the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Criminal Record Management System (CRMS) and other branches of the Police Department were rewarded at a ceremony, held at the Central Police Office.

The incident
Last year in September, two armed men raped a woman stranded with her children on the motorway before robbing her of money and other valuables.

Abid Malhi and his accomplice Shafqat alias Bagga were at the Lahore-Sialkot motorway on September 9 with the intention to rob a motorist when they saw a stationary white-coloured car on the roadside.

The two approached the vehicle, threatened and robbed its occupants, and then gang-raped the woman in front of her children after dragging them to a nearby field.

Read more: Lahore CCPO blames motorway rape victim for choice of route, travelling late at night

The incident sparked protests and anger across the country, raising questions on the overall law and order situation of the country.

Shafqat was arrested first in September and after his DNA samples matched samples taken from the crime scene, he was remanded into police custody.

A month after evading police, Malhi, the prime suspect, was arrested from Faisalabad in October.

How did police manage to catch the prime suspect?
Sources had told Geo News that a trap had been laid out for the motorway rape prime suspect, which ultimately led to his arrest.

The sources said that Malhi's wife was taken to Faisalabad by police after the suspect told her during a phone call that he would meet her there.

When Malhi arrived in the city to meet her, he was nabbed by police officials in plain clothes.

According to Geo News correspondent Ahmad Faraz, Malhi was arrested without any resistance and taken from Faisalabad to Lahore.

Read more: Netizens burst in anger over horrific Motorway incident, call for prompt action

Both suspects confessed to their crime while in police custody while Shafqat also recorded his confessional statement before a judicial magistrate under section 124 of CrPC.

During an identity parade conducted in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, the victim woman also identified both suspects.
 
https://www.geo.tv/latest/337869-court-indicts-abid-malhi-shafqat-ali-in-motorway-gang-rape-case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday indicted the two main accused in the Lahore Motorway rape case. The accused pleaded not guilty and contended to contest the charges, said Deputy Prosecutor General Hafiz Asghar.

Hafiz told APP that the court recorded statements of 10 prosecution witnesses, including a car mechanic, a Dolphin Squad member, and a doctor after the accused denied the charges.

Subsequently, the court adjourned further proceedings and summoned more prosecution witnesses on the next date of hearing.

ATC Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta conducted the case hearing at the Camp Jail, wherein jail authorities produced Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali, prime accused and co-accused. It should be noted that due to the sensitivity of the case, the trial of the accused is being conducted within jail premises.

The Gujjarpura police had filed a challan against the accused, wherein they were declared guilty.

The police had requested the court for awarding strict punishment to the accused as sufficient evidence was available against them. The police had also submitted a list of 53 witnesses.
 
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has recorded the statements of five more prosecution witnesses during the hearing of the motorway gang-rape case.

ATC Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta conducted the case hearing at Camp Jail, wherein jail authorities produced the prime accused and co-accused, Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali.

The court recorded the statements of two forensic experts, two judicial magistrates, and a police sub-inspector while the defence counsel also completed the cross-examination of four witnesses during the proceedings on Saturday.

The court has adjourned further proceedings till March 8.

Deputy Prosecutor General Hafiz Asghar and Deputy Prosecutor General Waqar Bhatti represented the prosecution whereas advocates Sher Gull Qureshi and Qasim Arain appeared on behalf of the accused.

The court had earlier recorded the statements of 23 prosecution witnesses after the accused denied the charges of being indicted. In addition, Police had also submitted a list of 53 witnesses.

Gujjarpura police had filed a challan against the accused, wherein they were declared guilty. Police had requested the court to award strict punishment to the accused as sufficient evidence was available against them.

Lahore Motorway incident
Last year in September, the men, whilst armed, raped a woman stranded with her children on the motorway before robbing her of money and other valuables.

Abid Malhi and his accomplice Shafqat alias Bagga were at the Lahore-Sialkot motorway on September 9 with the intention to rob a motorist when they saw a stationary white-coloured car on the roadside.

The two approached the vehicle, threatened and robbed its occupants, and then gang-raped the woman in front of her children after dragging them to a nearby field.

Lahore CCPO blamed the motorway rape victim for the choice of route, travelling late at night.

The incident sparked protests and anger across the country, raising questions on the overall law and order situation of the country.

Shafqat was arrested first, in September 2020, and after his DNA matched with samples taken from the crime scene. After that, he was remanded into police custody.

A month after evading police, Malhi, the prime suspect, was also arrested from Faisalabad in October 2020.
 
LAHORE:An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday awarded death sentence to prime accused and co-accused – Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali – in the motorway gang-rape case that sparked a countrywide outrage last year.

On September 9, 2020, prime accused Malhi and Shafqat alias Bagga raped a woman at gunpoint in Gujjarpura area while she was waiting for help on the motorway after her car ran out of fuel.

An FIR of the incident was lodged with the Gujjarpura police under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

ATC Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta announced the verdict at the Camp Jail, where the prison authorities produced both the accused for today’s verdict.

The convicts were awarded death sentences after the prosecution established its case against them.

The court also awarded life imprisonment to both convicts under the charges of abduction and 14-years imprisonment to each accused under the charges of robbery.

The horrific incident shook the collective conscience of the entire nation and triggered countrywide outrage and raised questions over the duplicitous nature of a society where sheer savagery lies lurking behind the veil of piousness and morality and nowhere seems to be safe anymore.

The appalling incident also set off a debate on mainstream and social media on behavioural tendencies and the alarming rise in the cases of sexual violence in the country as well as the inability of the law enforcement mechanism to provide security to citizens as even a drive on a motorway can prove to be perilous.

In September last year, the woman was travelling with her children when her car stalled in Gujjarpura as it ran out of fuel.

She called her one her relatives and sent him her location on the motorway. When the relative reached the location, he saw the woman panic-stricken with blood stains allover her clothes. The windowpanes of her vehicle were also broken. The victim told the police that she was waiting for her relative to pick her up and her children when two armed men attacked her.

One of them struck the car with clubs and the other held them hostage at gunpoint.

The attackers then took her and the children to a nearby forested area where they gang-raped the woman.

Later, they robbed her of valuables which included Rs100,000 cash, two gold jewellery pieces, a bracelet, car registration card and three ATM cards and left her stranded.

Later police arrested the suspects and submitted challan, declaring them guilty. Owing to security reasons the trial of the accused held at prison.

Court recorded and cross-examined statements of around 35 prosecution witnesses. The accused in their statement under 342 CrPC pleaded not guilty and contended to contest the charges.

In previous hearings, the defence raised many questions over the jail proceedings, attempting to establish that the accused were innocent and had been implicated in a ‘forged case’. However, the victim identified the prime accused, Abid Malhi, as one of the perpetrators of the crime while he was presented before the court.

In earlier proceedings, on pointing out through a request submitted by the prosecution for recording evidence of the minors if court deems them competent, the court dismissed the request of the prosecution after the trial court judge observed that children appeared before court were minors and not competent for the said purpose.

However, the court put some queries to the minors like “Which school do you go to and in which class do you read” and some other questions of similar nature, but the children responded that they didn’t know anything.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2290463/both-accused-in-motorway-gang-rape-sentenced-to-death
 
President Arif Alvi on Thursday promulgated an ordinance that has given the authority to session courts to hear rape cases.

The president has permitted session courts to hear rape cases till the establishment of special courts after consultations with the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The president, on Prime Minister Imran Khan's advice, approved a summary to hire several judges in Lahore and Balochistan High Courts.

The president greenlit the summary for appointing two additional judges in BHC and 13 judges in LHC.

President also Alvi approved the relaxation of prisoners’ sentences on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and reduced the sentences for several crimes by 90 days.

However, the relaxations will not apply to prisoners convicted of serious crimes.

GEO
 
Session courts can now hear rape cases

President Arif Alvi on Thursday promulgated an ordinance that has given the authority to session courts to hear rape cases.

The president has permitted session courts to hear rape cases till the establishment of special courts after consultations with the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The president, on Prime Minister Imran Khan's advice, approved a summary to hire several judges in Lahore and Balochistan High Courts.

The president greenlit the summary for appointing two additional judges in BHC and 13 judges in LHC.

President also Alvi approved the relaxation of prisoners’ sentences on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and reduced the sentences for several crimes by 90 days.

However, the relaxations will not apply to prisoners convicted of serious crimes.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/349062-session-courts-can-now-hear-rape-cases
 
The opposition members of the law and justice parliamentary body on Thursday expressed their concerns over the setting up of special courts to decide rape cases under a new ordinance and the procedure for appointing their judges.

The committee adjourned the matter until the next meeting, giving the law minister time to respond to the questions and objections of the opposition members.

The Standing Committee on Law and Justice of the National Assembly held a meeting, presided over by its chairman, Riaz Fatyana. The meeting discussed the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance.
The law secretary told the committee that special courts as well an anti-rape cell would be set up under the new law.

In addition, he said modern devices would be used in investigating rape cases.

“Data on sex offenders would be compiled by the NADRA [National Database and Registration Authority],” he elaborated.

“Criminal proceedings will also be initiated against anyone who files a false complaint.”

The opposition members of the committee expressed their concerns over the establishment of special courts and the procedure for appointing judges.

Committee member Naveed Qamar of the PPP said the existing session courts should be empowered for this purpose.

Rana Sanaullah Khan of the PML-N, also a member, claimed that some people were unable to “digest” the independence of the judiciary.

“There are conspiracies being hatched by people sitting in different place and a 10-year package is being introduced for retired judges,” he added.

“This bill [anti-rape] is malicious and it should not be passed by the committee.”

Malika Bukhari, a member of the committee from the ruling PTI and the parliamentary secretary for law and justice, said the bill should be viewed from a political perspective.

“Try to reconsider your behaviour by listening to the arguments. This is a national issue,” she told the opposition members.

“We have added a lot of clauses in this bill. We will notify the rules soon. This law is for [the protection of] the girls and boys of Pakistan.”
Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem told the committee that specialist judges and prosecutors were needed to deal with rape cases.

“Therefore, it is necessary to have special courts,” he added. “There is no 10-year package.”

The law minister requested that the matter be postponed till the next meeting so he could give detailed answers to the opposition members.

The chairman of the committee postponed the discussion until the next meeting.

Separately, President Dr Arif Alvi approved empowering sessions courts to hear rape cases until special ones were set up for this purpose.

The president made the decision after consulting with the chief justice of Pakistan.

President Alvi also approved a summary for the appointment of 13 additional judges to the Punjab High Court and two to the Balochistan High Court.

The president reduced the jail terms of prisoners not involved in heinous crimes by 90 days on the occasion of the upcoming Eidul Fitr.

Express Tribune
 
LHC schedules hearing for Sialkot Motorway rape convicts’ appeals

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has scheduled for hearing of appeals against the death sentences of Abid Malhi and Shafqat Bagga, the convicts involved in the harrowing rape incident on the Sialkot Motorway.

Set by the Registrar’s Office, the hearing is slated to take place today (Tuesday) and will be heard by Justice Shahram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa.

Following their conviction by Lahore’s Anti-Terrorism Court in March 2021, where both perpetrators were sentenced to death, Abid Malhi and Shafqat Bagga have filed appeals against the court’s decision.

The Gujarpura police had lodged a case against the criminals, leading to a trial that culminated in the death sentence and fines for the convicted individuals.


 
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