Girl assault case: Main accused in DI Khan incident still at large

DERA ISMAEL KHAN: The prime suspect in the case of parading a teenager girl naked through the streets of a village in the district, Sajawal, could not be arrested by the police even after passage of 16 days.

The 16-year-old victim once again recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate. She alleged that the investigation officer filed a wrong report earlier in which he did not intentionally mention that her clothes were tore off and she was forced to walk naked through the streets of her village.

The Station House Officer (SHO) was also summoned after public pressure started mounting. Section 354-A had and the accused could even get death penalty if proven guilty. The victim’s brother stated that his family was being pressurised not to pursue the case.

On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member National Assembly (MNA) Dawar Khan Kundi said: “I stand firm on my stance that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is backing the culprits”.

Meanwhile, KP Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Amin Gandapur visited the affected family on Monday and offered to become guardian of the victim girl. He met the assault survivor, her mother, and residents of the area.

He promised to arrange the marriage of the teenager, but firmly maintained his stance that he had not, in any way, supported the accused men.

Meanwhile, the case was handed over to a five-member investigation team. Eight of the nine suspects, against whom a case was registered, are in police custody. Four of the suspects have also confessed to the crime.

Speaking to Geo News over the matter, KP IG Salahuddin Mehsud said the investigation is in its final stages and will be completed soon. The IG said there was no external pressure on the police. “The police department is unbiased and conducting investigation with freedom.” The culprits will be taken to task soon. “I am personally overseeing the case.”

Ministry of Human Right Secretary Ghulam Abbas, who also hails from DI Khan, visited the survivor and her family in their house in Girah Mut locality. The incident occurred on October 27, when the girl was returning home after fetching water when men surrounded her, stripped her and made her to walk in the locality for an hour.

The girl’s screams for help fell on deaf ears as no one came to her rescue. The witnesses’ claimed that nobody came to help her because they were scared. The incident's survivor was ‘punished’ for her brother’s behaviour. Around three-years-ago, her brother, identified as Sajjad, got involved in a relationship with a girl from the village. A panchayat (village council) gathered and had fined Sajjad’s family Rs0.25 million to resolve the matter. The tehsil nazim was also part of the decision-making process.