Schoolteacher burning case
ISLAMABAD: The drop scene of burning of 19-year-old schoolteacher in Murree may not be the same as reported by media earlier as a high-level police team has concluded its investigation and contrary to initial claims, the probe may declare it a case of suicide and not murder as the police have not found a single evidence that could establish the incident as a murder.
According to sources, the police investigation report will be formally submitted to the Punjab chief minister within a couple of days. The probe has hinted at possibility of self-immolation by the girl, Maria Sadaqat, after a dispute with Haroon, the son of the school’s Principal Master Shaukat who is a key accused, currently detained in Adiala Jail.
The story of Maria’s “burning” created national and international headlines as an extreme case of violence against woman in Pakistan. Maria was brought to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) with over 80 percent burn injuries on May 13 this year but succumbed to her injuries a day later. In her statement to police, prior to her death, Maria said she along with her (mentally-ill) sister were present at home when Shaukat along with Mian Arshad, Riffat Mehmood (55) and three other unknown men came to their home and burnt her with kerosene for refusing to marry Shaukat’s son.
Murree police had registered the case and arrested accused including Shaukat and his son Haroon. Later, on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a high-level police team from Lahore was assigned the task to investigate the matter. The four-member team of senior officers led by DIG Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh conducted the probe.
According to sources, police used mobile location data and geo fencing to determine the whereabouts of the accused at the time of the incident. However police team could not find any evidence of the accused presence near several kilometers of the house of Maria. The data was corroborated with circumstantial evidence and interrogation of the accused but nothing could be found to implicate Shaukat in the murder.
The sources said the family of the deceased had also refused to share her personal mobile phone with the police.
According to police probe the deceased had an affair with Master Shaukat’s married son and the two had been communicating frequently on telephone. Haroon who is already married has also told police that the girl had threatened to commit suicide if he failed to marry her. He provided evidence of mobile phone conversation.
However, when contacted by The News, Sadaqat Abbasi, father of Maria said her daughter was not using any private phone. He said the police should conduct its probe on the basis of the statement of Maria on her death bed.
“When I returned home from a funeral I saw burnt Maria along with my sister-in-law. Maria told me in front of my sister-in-law that master Shaukat and four other people came to her house and burnt her,” he said.
Sadaqat said police were not sharing any details of its probe with him while the accused were brought in court in comfortable cars. When asked about his financial dispute with Shaukat, Sadaqat said they started a joint business five years ago but all the investment was lost. “We were three partners who all contributed Rs0.1 million each. The business failed to pick up and the money was lost so I owe nothing to Shaukat,” he said.
Senior lawyer Tehmina Mohibullah who is also a member of Supreme Court Bar Associations’ fact finding team that visited Maria’s house said no one living in the area had testified about the incident before the SC bar team.
“During our visit, we met neighbours of the victim but no one had seen the incident. However, we were told by the mother of victim that her younger daughter who is mentally abnormal had seen the incident and she keeps saying: ‘Don’t go out they will burn you’”.
Advocate Tehmina said the team would contact the accused party for their version before concluding its report.
When contacted, the head of Police Investigation Team DIG Abubakar Khuda Bakhsh said the probe report was being finalised and would be submitted within a couple of days. He refused to further comment on the content of the report saying police had to take into account all the key factors while probing a sensitive case.