Shagufta, a twenty-four year mother of three innocent boys, wants the person who injected acid into her body after physically molesting her arrested immediately. Recuperating at Burn Centre Karachi, where she has undergone three painful surgeries, Shagufta was lured by the landlord Sahebzada Swati who after molesting her injected acid into her private parts and dumped her at the doorsteps of her house just a short distance away from his own.
Shagufta insisted that accused Sahebzada be arrested immediately talking to head of Madadgar Helpline, Pakistan’s first referral centre for Child and Women victims of violence, Zia Ahmed Awan Advocate and Field Officer Bushra at Burn Centre Karachi. Shagufta, who was transferred from Crisis Centre Hyderabad to Burn Centre Karachi eleven days ago on the instruction of provincial minister for Human Rights Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto is recuperating from three surgeries necessary to save her life. For the time being nothing matters more to Shagufta than the arrest of accused Sahebzada Swati, However, who has not yet been arrested despite the lodging of FIR No. 62/09 at Tando Yusuf Police Station, Hyderabad.
Zia Awan Adv expressing grave concerns at the rising incidents of burns to women throughout the country stressed on the need for maximum sentences prescribed under the law as the only effective deterrence. He also stressed on the need not only on the rehabilitation of the victims and their families but also on measures to bring heinous crimes against women to an end. He demanded registering case against accused Sahebzada under Anti-Terrorism Act and trying him at Anti Terrorist Court.
Statistics of heinous crimes against women paint an ugly picture. So far this year a 103 cases of women suffering severe burns have been reported while the total number of women-burn cases reported since 2001 adds up to 2,125. Of these 2,125 reported cases; Adv Zia says that majority of such cases never get reported in the country, 1,030 happened in Punjab; 903 in Sindh; 159 in NWFP and 33 in Balochistan. Of the 2,125 women reported severely burned 1,255 were married while 870 were unmarried.
According to details Shagufta’s husband Zulfiqar, a laborer, lived on rent in the house of the accused who from the very beginning had roving eyes and bad intentions about her. Zulfiqar left the house and rented another premises nearly in Hyderabad after he came to know about the immoral activities of the accused. However, on the 12th of this month the accused lured Shagufta into his office on the pretext of cleaning his house but instead not only physically molested her but also injected acid into her body and later dumped her unconscious at the door step of her house.
Zulfiqar, Shagufta’s husband, claims that police is protecting the accused which is evident from the fact that SHO and Liaquat, a policeman of Tando Yusuf PS warned the accused on phone that “the media knows about the case” thereby warning him to flee. According to Zulfiqar police is providing protection to the influential accused who sells narcotics, occupies Railway quarters as well as a land grabber who has built half dozen houses on Hindus’ graveyard. (NC Report)
Shagufta insisted that accused Sahebzada be arrested immediately talking to head of Madadgar Helpline, Pakistan’s first referral centre for Child and Women victims of violence, Zia Ahmed Awan Advocate and Field Officer Bushra at Burn Centre Karachi. Shagufta, who was transferred from Crisis Centre Hyderabad to Burn Centre Karachi eleven days ago on the instruction of provincial minister for Human Rights Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto is recuperating from three surgeries necessary to save her life. For the time being nothing matters more to Shagufta than the arrest of accused Sahebzada Swati, However, who has not yet been arrested despite the lodging of FIR No. 62/09 at Tando Yusuf Police Station, Hyderabad.
Zia Awan Adv expressing grave concerns at the rising incidents of burns to women throughout the country stressed on the need for maximum sentences prescribed under the law as the only effective deterrence. He also stressed on the need not only on the rehabilitation of the victims and their families but also on measures to bring heinous crimes against women to an end. He demanded registering case against accused Sahebzada under Anti-Terrorism Act and trying him at Anti Terrorist Court.
Statistics of heinous crimes against women paint an ugly picture. So far this year a 103 cases of women suffering severe burns have been reported while the total number of women-burn cases reported since 2001 adds up to 2,125. Of these 2,125 reported cases; Adv Zia says that majority of such cases never get reported in the country, 1,030 happened in Punjab; 903 in Sindh; 159 in NWFP and 33 in Balochistan. Of the 2,125 women reported severely burned 1,255 were married while 870 were unmarried.
According to details Shagufta’s husband Zulfiqar, a laborer, lived on rent in the house of the accused who from the very beginning had roving eyes and bad intentions about her. Zulfiqar left the house and rented another premises nearly in Hyderabad after he came to know about the immoral activities of the accused. However, on the 12th of this month the accused lured Shagufta into his office on the pretext of cleaning his house but instead not only physically molested her but also injected acid into her body and later dumped her unconscious at the door step of her house.
Zulfiqar, Shagufta’s husband, claims that police is protecting the accused which is evident from the fact that SHO and Liaquat, a policeman of Tando Yusuf PS warned the accused on phone that “the media knows about the case” thereby warning him to flee. According to Zulfiqar police is providing protection to the influential accused who sells narcotics, occupies Railway quarters as well as a land grabber who has built half dozen houses on Hindus’ graveyard. (NC Report)
