Cleric sexually assaults boy

MULTAN: A seminary cleric allegedly found sexually assaulting a boy in a madrassah at Shaukat Colony, but he fled when the boy’s relatives reached there, police said. The police have yet not arrested the accused cleric. Zahid’s father, M Iqbal lodged his complaint with the Basti Malok police on Thursday stating that his son faced barbaric assault of madrassah cleric Ayaz on July 26. The complainant said that when he visited the madrassah with his brother Muhammad Riyiaz on July 26, his son was sitting in his class. He came to know that Muhammad Ayaz called him to his office. When the complainant and his brother reached the seminary, the accused cleric fled the scene leaving the boy behind. Basti Malok police have registered a case and sent a team to arrest the cleric but the cleric could not be traced out. Talking to The News, human rights activist Naveed Hashmi said that child abuse was increasing shockingly in country mainly because of police apathy. He said 3,445 children were abused in country while the cases reported in Punjab were 2,168 in 2017.