FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-STM-109-2009
May 16, 2009
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
PAKISTAN: Police meddle in Babli’s murder by producing her ‘third’ husband
In the case of the so-called honour killing of Babli (20), the police has arrested Alam Lashari, her brother following a press conference by a police official, Head Constable Akbar Almani, who, the police claimed to be her third husband through a fake marriage certificate which they produced in court. The presence of Head Constable Almani has suddenly surfaced at the office of the district police officer of Larkana, Mr. Irfan Baloch, shortly after the issuance of the statement by the AHRC, on May 14. Please see the link: http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2009statements/2026/ PAKISTAN: Police complicity and judicial inaction lead to the murder of a girl on the pretext of an honour killing.
The case took a new turn after the revelation that high officials of the four districts were more involved in saving the reputation of the SHO of the Women’s Police Station, Ms. Rukhsana Mangi, in the case of selling Babli to the chief of the Lashari tribe, who had already announced her impending death sentence on the pretext of an honour killing. Later on May 9 Babli was killed, allegedly at the house of Head Constable Akbar Almani. (In the previous statement he was mentioned mistakenly as ASI). As Akbar Almani surfaced at a press conference was hurriedly called by high police officials to hear whole case from this head constable. He told journalists that he was posted at Moro police station, Naushehro Feroz district and that had been the Babli’s legitimate husband and he had married her on March 20, this year in Moro.
Head constable Almani’s name first came to light when the DPO Shikarpur Mr. Khadim Hussain Rind produced a fake certificate of Babli’s third marriage during the High Court hearing on April 28, but when the court asked Almani to be present in the court on the next hearing, on May 7, just two days before her murder, he deliberately ignored the court order and was absent from proceedings.
Constable Almani tried to explain his innocence before the hurriedly called media that he met Mohammed Alam, Babli’s brother, on a bus while going home and her brother proposed that he marry his sister who had been branded kari (liable to be killed). He said that Alam demanded Rs 250,000 (US Dollars 3125) for giving Babli’s hand. Almani paid him Rs 100,000 and promised to pay the remaining amount after some time. Almani said that she lived with him for over a month and one day Alam came to him and sought his permission to take his sister with him for a few days. He repeated the sentence that he sought assurance from Alam, her brother, that he would not kill her and also asked Ms Babli to return soon. Constable Almani said he came to know about the murder of his wife through the media and tried to contact Alam but failed.
The statement from the constable appears to be an effort from the high police officials of the four districts to prove that she was killed on the pretext of an honour killing rather than by police involvement after all its meddling in the court proceedings for her recovery. The police of the four districts failed to produce her following court orders in several hearings from March 16 to May 7, 2009, during which the main focus of the police was to submit fake marriage certificates of her in the court rather than producing her. The lawyer representing her legal husband showed his apprehension in court on several occasions that, with the collusion of the police she might be killed.
The connection of the police in suddenly bringing her so-called third husband before the hurriedly convened press conference was a great surprise for the journalists as during his conference he was constantly interrupted by the police officials. On next day, 16 May the police announced the arrest of her brother in the murder case and had him remanded by a local court. Mr. Irfan Baloch, District police officer Larkana also announced that head constable, “Almani would not be grilled because he has clearly stated every thing. His name would be included only in the FIR on charge of purchasing Babli and solemnizing nikkah, the marriage, with an already married woman”, according to Daily Dawn. But Almani was not arrested. This is another attempt by the high police officials before the high court decision on the application of her husband, Mr. Ali Gohar Shar, where the police officers, the tribal chief Lashari tribe and SHO of women police station were accused of their involvement in Babli’s murder. He has sought the court’s help in lodging FIR against the police officers.
It is reported that the arrest of Babli’s brother is an attempt from police to prove that Babli was murdered in an honour killing so that the police can take a confessional statement from her brother as he has been handed over to police for physical remand with the help from a local court which in no way goes against the high police officials of the four districts.
The Asian Human Rights Commission calls upon the Supreme Court to constitution an investigative commission into the murder case of the Babli. The judiciary must take cognizance of the police failure to respect the court orders, particularly, after the introduction of judicial reforms introduced by the chief justice of Pakistan.
The AHRC also urges to chief minister of Sindh to arrest the police officers of the four districts, the DPOs from Shikarpur, Larkana, Sukkur and Naushehro Feroz districts, and SHO of women police station, Sukkur pending a transparent enquiry of Babli’s murder.
