LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Comments by the lead police investigator suggesting that the victim of a gang rape in Pakistan that occurred along one of the country’s most secure highways was to blame have spurred cries of outrage.
Investigators say the victim left her home with her two children in Lahore and was driving when her car ran out of fuel around 1:30 a.m. She called a relative and a helpline for the highway police, but before they arrived, two men approached, broke the car’s windows, and dragged the woman and her children to a field beside the highway, where she was gang raped.
On Thursday, Omar Sheikh, the lead investigator in the case, said in a TV news program that the victim should have taken another highway, the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, and should have made sure she had enough fuel for the journey.
The highway the attack took place on was constructed to replace the centuries-old and traffic-plagued GT Road, and is equipped with CCTV and a dedicated police force. Sheikh declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
Shireen Mazari, the minister for human rights, said on Twitter that the investigator’s remarks were “unnaceptable.”
“The right to access public spaces and safe mobility is a fundamental right of every person in Pakistan, including women,” the Women in Law Initiative, a group of women lawyers and rights advocates, said in a statement condemning the attack and pointing out an increasing frequency in similar cases of violence against women and girls.
Twelve suspects had been arrested so far, Musarrat Cheema, spokesperson for the government of Punjab province, said on Twitter.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a statement on Twitter he was following the case closely and had asked investigators for the “arrest and sentencing of those involved in the incident as soon as possible,” adding that his government would look into how to strengthen laws to deal with an apparent increase in cases involving the rape of women and children.
In February, lawmakers passed a bill calling for those convicted of the sexual abuse and murder of children to be hanged in public. But the government opposed the bill and it was not enacted into law.
Pakistanis outraged as investigator blames mother gang-raped along major highway
https://arab.news/bw8vj
Pakistanis outraged as investigator blames mother gang-raped along major highway
- Lead investigator says victim should have taken another highway and made sure she had enough fuel for the journey
- Woman whose car broke down on highway Tuesday night was dragged to a field beside the motorway and assaulted in front of her children
Pakistani national in Dubai killed by falling debris from ‘aerial interception’
- Pakistani driver killed on Saturday as debris falls on vehicle in Al Barsha area, confirms Government of Dubai Media Office
- Iran has targeted Gulf countries hosting US troops with missile, drone attacks since Middle East conflict began last week
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani national was killed this week after debris from an aerial interception fell on a vehicle in Dubai, the Government of Dubai Media Office confirmed on Sunday.
The incident took place in Dubai’s Al Barsha area, the Dubai Media Office wrote on social media platform X, without confirming the location from where the projectile was fired from.
“Authorities confirm that debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, resulting in the death of a Pakistani driver,” the Dubai Media Office said.
This is the second Pakistani national killed in the UAE since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. As per local media reports, a Pakistani national died in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 28 after being struck by missile fragments.
Pakistani and Nepalese nationals were among six people injured by falling debris on Thursday after the UAE’s air defense systems intercepted drones, the Abu Dhabi Media Office had confirmed in a statement.
Iran has carried out several missile and drone attacks on Gulf countries hosting American troops since Isreal and the US launched coordinated strikes against it last week. The surprise attack came after months of negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.
Pakistan has asked its citizens in Gulf states to exercise caution, avoid travel and strictly follow official adviseries ever since tensions escalated in the region last week.
The UAE is home to over 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the largest communities of overseas Pakistanis worldwide.
Pakistan has condemned the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran but also criticized Tehran’s attacks that have targeted countries in the Gulf region, advising all parties to exercise restraint.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologized to Gulf neighbors for the attacks, saying Tehran would halt strikes unless attacks against Iran originate from their territories.
However, questions were raised over the apology as air defense sirens and interceptions were reported in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain later on Saturday, fueling uncertainty across the Gulf.
