Hindu girl resisting kidnap bid shot dead in Rohri

By News Desk

KARACHI/ SUKKUR: A Hindu girl was shot dead in Rohri town of Sukkur on Monday when she resisted a bid to abduct her. The Sukkur police arrested the accused killer of the girl and registered an FIR against him under the relevant sections of Pakistan Penal Code.

Reports said that on Monday, Wahid Bakhash Lashari, along with his two aides, entered the house of Sahib Oad with a pistol in the area of Rohri town of Sukkur district and fired at 18-year-old Pooja Kumari, daughter of Sahib Oad, when she and other family members resisted the kidnapping bid. The victim died on the spot.

The accused after killing the girl escaped. SSP Sukkur, Sanghaar Malik, taking notice of the incident, ordered the arrest of the accused killer. The police teams arrested the alleged killer from the limits of Rohri and recovered the murder weapon from his possession. The incident created a widespread uproar on social media and social and rights activists strongly condemned the killing of the girl in brutal manner and demanded the protection of daughters of the people of religious minorities, especially Hindus and Christians.

PPP Senator Krishna Kumari on Tuesday demanded capital punishment for the murderer of a 17-year-old girl Pooja Kumari as uproar in the province over the killing grew.

Krishna Kumari said the members of the minority community demand capital punishment for the killer, saying that the authorities should take notice of the situation as girls of minorities were not safe in their homes. They usually became victims of kidnapping and forced conversation of faith. She demanded security and protection for members of the minority community living in Sindh. Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday brought the accused Wahid Bakhsh Lashari to a Sukkur court, where the police got 10-day physical remand of the alleged murderer.

Earlier, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a condemnation and said Sindh police had arrested all suspects in the case. He also lauded Sindh Police for the "expeditious arrests". Bilawal said the relevant authorities should make sure that the culprits were meted out stringent punishments. Bilawal in a statement also expressed solidarity with Kumari's family and said anyone intending to harm the oppressed would have to face the PPP first.

On the other hand, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif called the murder "heinous and condemnable" and said that such incidents represent our collective failure and put our whole society to shame. "No girl deserves to go through this. High time we thought why we continue to hit lows one after the other," the leader of the opposition tweeted.

Aurat March organisers said in a tweet: "We strongly condemn the horrifying murder of Pooja Kumari in Rohri, Sukkur. 18-year-old Pooja lost her life while resisting her kidnapping by men of influential Lashari clan."

Malala Yousafzai's father Ziauddin called the murder "disgusting" and a "heinous crime", adding that "we all must speak up to demand justice for the bravest Pooja Kumari."