Widow laments police not taking her complaint seriously

LAHORE:Saida Iqbal, a resident of Bagbanputa Bazaar in Shalimar, finds herself embroiled in a distressing ordeal following the death of her husband, Iqbal Butt, a former Deputy Director at Wapda.

Iqbal Butt passed away in October 6, 2021, leaving behind his widow, Saida Iqbal, and his two sons from a previous marriage. Saida, grappling with the loss of her husband, now faces a different kind of torment from her two sons who are pressuring Saida to relinquish her husband's pension, which she is entitled to as his surviving spouse.

In addition to this financial coercion, she alleges the two brothers allegedly manipulated Saida into signing a document, effectively forfeiting her claim to any share of her late husband's property. The situation took a disturbing turn when one of her stepsons started harassing her by sending her objectionable videos and making indecent phone calls. Saida Iqbal filed a complaint against her stepsons with the Mughalpura police station on May 6, this year. According to Saida, the police have shown a lack of urgency and seriousness in addressing her complaint. She has made three visits to the police station, but ASI Akhtar Ali, the officer assigned to her case, appears reluctant to take meaningful action against the accused.

When contacted, ASI Akhtar Ali had no answer for the delay in taking action against the two brothers. He stated that he would produce the woman before SHO Mughalpura on Monday (today) for legal action. Saida Iqbal has appealed to the Inspector General of Punjab to intervene.