In the case of the love marriage of Ms. Kulsoom and Mr. Fazal Abbas the chief justice of Lahore high court has taken Sou Moto action and ordered the arrests of the police officers involved in the torture of the men and women of the family. The chief justice also ordered the release of all detainees including the mother of the groom on the personal bond of Rs. 5/=, which is a precedent in the history of Pakistan as the judiciary has never before taken such action in favour of the victims. The court’s position on the case is laudable and after the restoration of the judiciary there is more focus on the interests of the people and respect for the human rights of the individual.
The next hearing of the case is fixed for May 28, and Miss Kulsoom and other ladies of the family will be produced for the recording of their statements with regard to the illegal arrests, attacks by the police and Mr. Iftekhar Baloch, the member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) and torture, including sexual abuse in detention. The court has ordered the submission of medical reports on the allegations of the torture in detention. Mr. Fazal Abbas, the groom, and Mr. Shafiq Dogar, his brother in law, have stated to the court and before the media that they were sodomised by the police in different police stations in an effort to force them to provide the whereabouts of Miss Kulsoom. According to reports this was done in the presence of Iftekhar Baloch and Kulsoom’s brother. The medical report on Mr. Fazal has been released but contains no mention of sodomy and was apparently written in such a manner so as to protect the police.
The government of Punjab has still not taken any action against Mr. Iftekhar Baloch despite the fact that evidence has been provided by the family of the victims to the court and the media. He himself has accepted his role in the arrest of the family of Fazal Abbas but even then he has not been arrested for acting illegally and misusing his powers. The members of the victim’s family has also accused Iftekhar Baloch of taking away 16-year-old Shazia, the younger sister of the groom, in his private car and the whereabouts and condition of the girl is still unknown. It is apparent that the provincial chief minister is protecting Mr. Iftekhar from any action that might be taken against him.
The government of the PML-N party, who itself was a victim during the nine years of Musharraf’s military rule is now following the path of its military predecessor in protecting the law breakers and criminal elements. The chief minister knows that most of his assembly members are gangsters but because of political expediency he has to protect the perpetrators.
The Asian Human Rights Commission, while appreciating the action of the chief justice of Punjab high court for taking Sou Moto action in the case of the torture of the men and women of the family while in the detention, request the court also to order the arrest of Iftekhar Baloch for misusing his powers and for Shazia’s abduction. The court should also order compensation from the provincial government and the police for the rehabilitation of the family. For sodomising the groom and his brother in law in detention the police and Iftekhar Baloch must be brought before the law and prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Please also see the urgent appeal and statements of the case:
http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2009statements/2040/
http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2009/3159/
