Two years passed: FIA, Punjab police fail to recover abducted woman

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Police and FIA have failed to implement the Supreme Court directives of recovering a Pakistani woman Farzana who was allegedly sold in Afghanistan by human trafficking gang operating in the twin cities.

Almost two years have passed since the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo motu notice of this issue but the apex court’s directives have not been implemented by the police and the FIA as yet.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan took a suo motu notice on The News’ story titled “Women trafficking in twin cities goes on unchecked” and a column “Sub Gongay Kun Ho Gay” by Ansar Abbasi on February, 24, 2017. The then Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar directed the Punjab police to take necessary measures for recovering the abducted woman. During the last two years, the apex court held several hearings into the case but the abducted woman could not be recovered. The Supreme Court of Pakistan in July 2018 directed the FIA to look into this matter and investigate this case.

Since then, the FIA initiated the probe but despite passage of almost six months the investigation agency has failed to make any progress in this case. The News approached FIA’s investigation officer of this case Inspector Zia to know the update about this case. Zia told The News that FIA is investigating the issue and has approached Afghanistan’s Embassy in Pakistan to help recover the lady.

“The Afghan Embassy has informed us that the area where the Pakistani woman (Farzana) is kept is not under the writ of Afghan government. This is one of the major reasons that the matter could not be resolved on government-to-government level. The Interpol has issued warrants for Farzana’s captors but due to inaccessibility of the area they could not be arrested”, said Inspector Zia.

Farzana — mother of two daughters Malaika (10 years) and Anam (07 years) was abducted in December 2016. She was sold to a Swabi based woman trafficker “Budhi” for Rs50,000 who then sold her to an Afghan national for Rs300,000.

Her seven-year-old daughter Anam was hopeful two years ago that her mother will be back soon as the highest court of the country has taken notice of her mother’s abduction. She was in class three while her mother was abducted. However despite such tragedy she was a good student and passed the grade-III exams with good marks and promoted to grade-IV.

She waited for reunion with her mother for the next year but her dream could not come true. Her failed dream also failed the state in her eyes and she started losing interest in everything including her studies. Resultantly, she failed in grade-IV and is insistent that she will go to school after she reunites with her mother.

The elder Malaika has not lost hope and still believes that the government will help them and bring their mother back. She is in Class-VII and now has pinned her hope on Prime Minister Imran Khan that he will help them to reunite with their mother.

Talking to The News Muhammad Arshed (Farzana’s husband) said he has left no stone unturned for her wife’s recovery. According to him, he appealed the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Army Chief, the then Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and the Supreme Court of Pakistan but no one has helped him getting his wife back.

“Initially I kept my kids’ hope alive especially when the chief justice took suo motu notice and police arrested key member of the gang that Farzana will be recovered soon. Every day I gave false hopes to my two young daughters who would wait for me the whole day so that I come back and cook something for them. Sometime I found them sleeping when I reach home not knowing whether they have eaten anything or not. It is very hard to raise two kids and that too daughters without their mother. It is only me and my kids who know what it takes to lose a mother of two young kids. Even my kids don’t believe now that they would ever reunite with their mothers, and I have no words to say anything to them,” commented Arshed.

Muhammad Arshed claims that police obtained Rs1.5 million from “Budhi” — the central character of the gang while she was in Rawalpindi police’s custody and the investigation officer confessed before the then RPO Rawalpindi Wisal Fakhar Sultan that they deposited Rs500,000 in the Malkhana. According to him “Haji” another character of the woman trafficking gang promised before the FIA investigation officer that he could bring back Farzana by paying her captor Rs500,000. But neither police nor any other authority is helping him in this regard.

“My wife will be back if the police can return the deposited amount and pay that money to her captors”, commented Arshed. It is pertinent to mention here that after the Supreme Court’s notice, Rawalpindi police arrested all the major characters of the woman trafficking gang within 24 hours. However, instead of taking stern action against the alleged gang, the police submitted a report in the apex court that Farzana was also a part of this gang and she went to Afghanistan on her own will. Owing to this weak challan by Rawalpindi police, all the members of the gang were granted bail by the lower court and they are free now.

When Contacted Superintendent Police (SP) Potohar Rawalpindi Javed Anwer who is incharge of the area said he has no information about the case but he will ask the relevant police station’s SHO about this issue. He said he will ensure expediting the investigation and efforts to recover the lady.