PAKISTAN: A girl was raped and kidnapped by the relatives of a minister and her whereabouts are unknown

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Dear friends, 

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that an 18-year-old girl, trafficked to a family through marriage, has been raped by her father-in-law and other male members of his family for almost one month. After she managed to escape, a Jirga (illegal court) was held and they ordered that the girl be returned to her parents. However, a second Jirga ordered that she be returned to her husband and his family on the basis that the girl’s parents had taken money for the marriage of the girl. With the order of the Jirga, the girl was kidnapped on October 21, 2008 and her whereabouts remain unknown. The nephew of a provincial minister was reportedly involved in conducting the Jirga and because of involvement of this minister the police are not taking action against the abduction and rape. 

CASE DETAILS: 

Ms. R (name withheld for security reason), 18, resident of street no 7, Pathan Mohalla, Mithiani, Tehsil and district Naushahro Feroz, Sindh province, was married to Mr. Zamir Bhurt, son of Mr. Luqman Bhurt after payment of Rs. 100,000 (USD 1,430) was made to her parents. The father of bridegroom agreed that he would pay 40,000 Rupees (USD 570) before the marriage and the remaining amount at the time of her handover husband at the marriage ceremony. According to the information received, the Bhurt family did not pay the entire amount as they were relatives of the Provincial Minister of Livestock. However, the girl’s family, due to their poverty, decided to hand the girl over to the bridegroom. 

According to the girl’s parents, when the girl reached her in-laws, she was told that she was not to be married but had been sold to the Bhurt family. She then found out that she was to be sexually available for all the males of the family including the father-in-law. Making some excuses on medical grounds, she managed to escape from the family. 

As she did not return, the in-laws contacted Mr. Nooral Khan Bhurt to conduct a Jirga. He is the land lord and tribal chief of the Bhurt tribe and nephew of Mr. Abdul Haque Bhurt, Provincial Minister of Livestock. Whereas the girl’s father-in-law and three other male persons of the same family claimed that all of them contributed some money for her purchase, the Jirga, conducted by Mr. Nooral Bhurt, found they were guilty of raping her. It ordered that Ms. R should reside at her parents’ house and that only Mr. Zamir Bhurt may visit her house as husband. 

After some days, the father-in-law sent an appeal to the Jirga leader asking for a revision of his decision. The Jirga was called again in the first week of October 2008. He pleaded that since they have now paid full amount of Rs. 100,000, the girl should go back to her in-laws. Mr. Nooral Bhurt decided that she should be returned to the Bhurt family. The order was delivered to Ms. R who refused to go back as she was afraid that she would be raped by the male members of the family, including the father-in-law. Her refusal was conveyed to the Jirga. It then ordered that she be taken by force from her parents. 

On the night of October 21, 2008, Mr. Zamir and his father, along with 20 armed men attacked her house in an attempt to kidnap her. As there was resistance from the family, the assailants using guns fired indiscriminately. Ms. R, her mother and her grandmother were severely injured while one attacker from the raiding party was shot dead. The neighbours phoned the police but they refused to come as the case involved a Jirga. The attackers then took the injured Ms. R away with them announcing that no one can remove her from their custody. Since then her whereabouts remain unknown. 

After the situation was over, the police came to investigate. While they were there, the cell phone of the dead assailant started ringing. However, the police did not know that he was killed in the firing. The Station Head Officer (SHO) of the Mithiani Police Station, Naushahro Feroz district, Mr. Waris Siyal, picked up the ringing cell phone. He heard the attackers asking the dead man to come to a hidden location where they were holding Ms. R. However, the SHO did not take any action. 

On following day, the police arrested the father of Ms. R for the murder of one attacker and refused to file cases on the kidnapping of Ms. R and the attack on her house. Mr. Waris Siyal, the SHO, reportedly has good connections in the new provincial government. Previously he was suspended from his job on three occasions and arrested once. It is believed that he is enjoying his position because of being a good friend of the Provincial Minister of Livestock. 

Due to the police bias, people from different villages and small cities held protests, wheel jammed strikes and shutter-downed shops. They strongly requested the police to file cases against the seven perpetrators but not the relatives of the provincial minister. No one has yet been arrested. 

The provincial government of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has refused to help the victims. However, local leaders and activists of PPP are agitating against their leadership for taking the side of powerful people. The women leadership of the party and women ministers have not intervened in this case as the provincial minister is close friend of Mr. Asif Zardari, the President of Pakistan. 

SUGGESTED ACTION: 
Please write a letter to the government authorities, urging them to thoroughly investigate this case so that those perpetrators are prosecuted and punished according to law. 

Please be informed that the AHRC has also written letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women calling for intervention in this case.

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