Pakistani police arrest suspects in gang-rape of 10-year-old girl who survived floods

Police patrol in the Saddar market area of Karachi, Sindh on May 24, 2021. (AFP/File)
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Updated 26 October 2022
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Pakistani police arrest suspects in gang-rape of 10-year-old girl who survived floods

  • Family of girl fled village after floods in Sindh’s Shikarpur district, were living on a footpath in Karachi
  • Rape took place on Sunday night, survivor was taken to hospital in critical condition on Monday evening

KARACHI: Police in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh said on Wednesday they had arrested two suspects in the rape of a 10-year-old girl whose family had survived devastating floods in their village and were living on a footpath in the port city of Karachi.

The family of the girl fled their village in Sindh’s Shikarpur district last month, according to a police report, and were currently squatting in Karachi’s upscale Clifton neighborhood.

“Both suspects accused of the rape have been arrested from Karachi and Tando Allahyar yesterday,” Asad Raza, a Senior Superintendent of Police, told Arab News, identifying the suspects as Ghulam Rasool and Khalid Hussain Lund.

“Ghulam Rasool drives a Careem cab. Him and his friend Khalid Hussain Lund picked up the girl by luring her with food,” the police officer said. DNA sample had been collected from both suspects, he added. “Police caught the suspects with the help of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.”

Karachi police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed told Arab News the rape took place on Sunday night, after which the survivor was taken to the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Center (JPMC) in critical condition on Monday evening.

“It’s horrible, had she not been provided treatment for one more hour, she would have died because she was brought in a life-threatening situation and with excessive blood loss,” Syed said, saying the child was out of danger now.

Last month, another girl was also reportedly gang-raped after she went to receive relief goods in the flood-hit Sanghar district of Sindh.

At least 2,211 children faced different forms of sexual and other abuse in Pakistan between January to June this year, Sahil, a non-profit organization working against child sexual abuse, said in a report compiling data from 88 national and regional newspapers.

Fewer than three percent of sexual assault or rape cases result in a conviction in Pakistan, according to the Karachi-based advocacy group War against Rape.


Pakistan stock market sees 41% rise in investors in 18 months

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Pakistan stock market sees 41% rise in investors in 18 months

  • Pakistan’s stock market has gained momentum at start of year on broad-based institutional buying
  • The rise in the stock market reflects global investors’ confidence in the country, state media says

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange has witnessed a 41% increase in the number of investors over the past 18 months, Pakistani state broadcaster reported on Friday.

Pakistani stock market has gained momentum in recent months as broad-based institutional buying across key sectors has reinforced investor confidence even as the country continues to navigate economic reforms under international lending programs.

Around 135,000 new investors have joined the PSX over the last 18 months, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Pakistan’s stock market has emerged as the second-best performing market globally,” the report said. “The rise in the stock market reflects global investors’ confidence in Pakistan’s improved investment environment.”

The development came as the PSX shed a little more than 1,000 points as it closed the weekend session at 184,519 points.

The report said coordinated efforts by Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) have helped stabilize the country’s economy and investment market, elevating it to prominence at the global level.

“Pakistan’s macroeconomic environment has become an attractive and reliable destination for investment,” it quoted Finance Adviser Khurram Schehzad as saying.

On Wednesday, Pakistani stocks climbed to a fresh all-time high with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing the 186,000-point mark for the first time as potential foreign inflows upheld the positive sentiment.