Sister of slain medical student appeals for justice

HANGU: The sister of the medical student killed two years ago in Kohat on Friday asked the prime minister and the chief of army staff to provide justice and security to her family.

Talking to journalists via a video call from London, Safia Rani alleged that one Mujahid Afridi had shot dead her sister, Asma Rani, a medical student, in Kohat two years back. “The accused was arrested from outside the country through the Interpol and is now facing trial. But his family members are affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) and are putting pressure on my parents to agree to a settlement,” she alleged.

Safia Rani said that the accused’s uncle, who is also a former councillor, had approached her parents twice to exert pressure on them for a patch-up. She pointed out that the PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced the “Shuhada” compensation package for her slain sister’s family but it hasn’t been materialized yet.

She said her brother and sister-in-law were the main witnesses in the case, but the court had taken the statement of her sister-in-law only. “My brother’s statement has not been recorded yet,” she added. Safia Rani appealed to the Prime Minister and Army chief to look into the matter and provide security and justice to her family. Meanwhile, Ghulam Dastagir, father of the late Asma Rani, said that he would neither withdraw the case nor patch-up with the accused party. He said that he was planning to seek support from his tribe in Lakki Marwat to hold a protest rally to highlight the case and seek justice. Ghulam Dastagir said that he would also stage protest outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly premises in Peshawar to demand justice for his innocent daughter.

“Individually, I cannot fight my rivals as they are influential and affiliated with the ruling party. Therefore, I have decided to seek the support of my tribe’s members who are standing by me,” he said.