KASUR City News

Kasur scandal
Social pressure prolonged child abuse practice?
Politicians jump in to exploit child abuse for LG polls
From Our Correspondent
KASUR: As the child abuse scandal not only shocked Kasur but also the entire country and the world, many questions are being asked about how the criminals were able to continue their practice for around 10 years, with the families and victims remaining silent due to social pressure.
The gang comprising around 25 people and stated to be associated with an influential group targeted around 280 children, mostly school going boys, in the Ganda Singhwala area. The episode again shows the dark reality that the police ignored the incidents because of politically influential mafia.
There are several questions that need answers. Why the police are trying to twist the horrific child abuse scandal? Why the police did not take strict action against the accused before media highlighted the issue?
It does not matter how many children have been molested, the question is how and why the abusers have been able to continue the practice for such along time?
Isn’t it a state responsibility to protect the most vulnerable? What was the socioeconomic group of the affected people? What are reasons?
But the episode took a shocking turn on Saturday when the police said that the whole episode was orchestrated to occupy 19 acres of government land.
Although the claim made by police cannot be confirmed as they are seemingly two separate issues, the political figures - both from opposition and associated with the government - have jumped in to cash the matter for mustering support in the upcoming local government elections.
Investigations sources revealed that hundreds of videos clips were made of 280 victims of abuse by a gang of over 15 criminals. The parents of several victims were continuously blackmailed and coerced to pay hundreds of thousands of rupees; otherwise the videos would be made public.
The victimised families in the locality are helpless as officials have been apathetic to the incidents. DPO Rai Babar Saeed said they had recovered 60 to 70 video clips with the help of which the perpetrators were being identified and action would immediately be taken against them.
On Sunday, when some political leaders visited Hussain Khanwala village and announced to support the victims’ families, more then 70 applications were submitted with the Ganda Singhwala Police Station against the accused. Seven of them - Jaseem, Waseem, Ali Majeed, Abdul Manan, Basharat, Yahya and Basiri) have been arrested while five others are on pre-arrest bail, with the cases under sections 293, 387/386, 377, 506 and others were registered.
Several parents of victims were consistently blackmailed and coerced into paying hundreds of thousands of rupees with threats of releasing the videos in public. Reports said families in the locality were helpless as officials all along remained apathetic to the incident.
A report presented to the chief minister on Saturday said six accused had already been arrested in the case while raids were being conducted to arrest the remaining criminals.

Another accused arrested
From Our Correspondent
KASUR: Police on Sunday arrested another accused in the child abuse case, bringing the total number of accused apprehended to seven.

Siraj asks CJP to take suo motu
From Our Correspondent
KASUR: Jamaat-e-Islam ameer Sirajul Haq on Sunday demanded the chief justice of Pakistan take suo motu of the Kasur child abuse scandal.
Talking to newsmen after meeting the victims’ families at Hussain Khanwala village, he also demanded the Punjab government make the judicial commission report public. Meanwhile, PTI leader Mehmoodur Rasheed also visited the village and demanded strict action against the culprits. He criticised the Punjab government and termed the incident its failure.