Girl’s abduction in Karachi DHA : Civil society, students hold protest at Teen Talwar

KARACHI: People from different walks of life, including students, civil society and political activists, demanding safe recovery of the abducted Dua Mangi, staged a friendly protest at Teen Talwar in Clifton locality on Tuesday evening as the police failed to recover the abducted girl despite the passage of 72 hours.

Apart from the family members and relatives of the abducted girl Dua Mangi, a large number of people, including students, civil and political activists, also participated in the protest held at Teen Talwar on Tuesday evening that continued for more than three hours. Special traffic arrangements were also made about to control the vehicular traffic during the sit-in.

The protest was organised by the Karachi Thinkers Forum. The family of Dua Mangi, including her sisters, grandmother and uncles, also participated in the protest. Some protesters also carried placards with slogans such as “Save Dua Mangi”, “Raise Voice for Dua Mangi”, “We Demand Peaceful Sindh”, “Pray for Dua” and “Aaj Dua, Kal Mein or Phir Tum”.

The family members and social and political activists also addressed the participants and demanded the safe recovery of Dua Mangi. The protesters also criticised the Sindh government and the police for their failure to recover her.

Nawaz Ghanghro, an organiser of the protest, blamed the Sindh government. “The government has failed to provide security to its citizens,” he said.

Aijaz Mangi, uncle of Dua Mangi, said that the police have not reached at any certain point to direct their own way to investigate the kidnapping. "We are not satisfied with the efficiency of police," Aijaz said. "Police are inefficient."

He said that they are also with injured Haris. “It's not only the kidnapping issue but the attempt to murder as well,” he said. “If our youth isn't safe, our society isn't safe. We are living in an insecure society.”

Naeem Mangi, uncle of Dua Mangi, said that they wanted results. "We don't believe in anything else but the results. We need our girl back. We need her safe recovery,” he said.

Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Farooq Sattar also lamented Sindh's provincial authorities over the abduction and delay in recovery of the teenager, Dua Mangi. “Even the jungle has law but we have no law here. The abduction of Dua was an abduction of the nation’s daughter and reflects the rule of jungle that prevails in the province," Sattar said.

Former Sindh Assembly member Sorath Thebo said that Sindh's women are unsafe. “Does the government kill our daughters,” she said. She termed it abduction a conspiracy against women in Sindh. "The culprits want our daughters to remain inside their homes.”

Noorul Huda Shah, who is a Pakistani dramatist and former caretaker minister, novelist and a former provincial minister of Sindh, said that this is responsibility of the state to provide protection to its citizens. “But unfortunately, the state seems to have failed in providing protection and justice to citizens,” she said.

A social activist Jibran Nasir also participated in the protest. “The crimes against women are increasing across the province, particularly in Karachi’s District South as women are being killed, kidnapped, raped and ‘sansar/vani’ taking place across the province,” Nasir said.

Nasir said that earlier Bisma was abducted in the same manner a few months ago in DHA. “We want women and youth protection,” he demands.

Talking about the police investigations, Nasir said that the family is not satisfied with the police investigations as the police even failed to trace the number of the car used in the incident. “When they failed to trace the car used in the incident, so how we can assume that they would trace and recover Dua,” he questioned. “No major breakthrough has been made by the police so far.”

Earlier, Dua’s elder sister also through social media appealed to citizens to help the family in tracing her sister. “My little sister Dua Nisar Mangi has been kidnapped and is now missing, and I request you all to spread this news as far as you can. If you know anything or any detail about Chai Master Bukhari or any news regarding Dua’s hangout in that place, please let us know. It is urgent. I want you all to spread this news as possible,” Dua’s elder sister, Laila Mangi appealed to citizens through her social media account.

Police investigators, however, have made no major breakthrough over the case despite the passage of 72 hours. “There is no headway as we are in the preliminary level of investigations while the case is being investigated from different angles,” said the investigation officer of the case, Chaudhry Amanat while talking to The News. The officer said that different teams of law enforcers, including District South’s investigation wing, Anti Violent Crime Cell and Special Investigation Unit, are investigating the case and trying to trace the hideout out of the suspects to arrest them and to recover the abducted girl safely. “We are recording the statements of witnesses, families and friends while geo-fencing was also being conducted.” The forensic report of the empty shell of a 9mm pistol used in the incident has also been obtained, which suggested that the weapon used in the incident has no history of crime.

Earlier on Saturday night, four to five armed men in a car intercepted Dua and her young male friend, who were strolling along the road, fired a shot, left him wounded and took away the girl. The male friend who was accompanying her, named Haris Soomro was shot in the neck. Soomro was admitted to a private hospital near Karachi’s National Stadium, where he remains in critical condition.

A case under sections of attempt to murder and kidnapping has already been registered at the Darakshan police station while different teams of investigators are investigating the case from different angles while they failed to ascertain the actual motive behind the incident as well as fail to recover the abducted girl.