ISLAMABAD: The driver of a car, which ran over and killed two pro-Palestine protesters in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad this week, has been identified as an army officer and handed over to the military police, the Islamabad police said on Saturday.
The protesters have set up their camps at D-Chowk in the Pakistani capital for the past several days. On Monday, a speeding car ran over a few demonstrators, killing two of them and injuring four others.
The driver of the car had sped away from the scene, but was arrested by the police shortly afterwards.
“The driver who crushed two people to death [on Jinnah Avenue] was arrested from the scene and identified as an army officer,” Taqi Jawad, an Islamabad police spokesman, told Arab News.
“He was nominated in the FIR [police report] and later handed over to the military police for further legal action.”
While the protesters condemned the incident, they said this week it would not dampen their spirits and they would continue to urge the government to do more about Israeli military actions in Palestine.
“We feel that the State of Pakistan and the Government of Pakistan should do far more than it has been doing till now,” Humaira Masihuddin, a lawyer, told Arab News on Tuesday.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and supports an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war in Gaza at the United Nations through its permanent representative.
Rabail Shahid, a student, criticized the government for failing to provide security to the protesters in Islamabad.
“This incident happened here, I cannot even imagine, and [that too] in the Red Zone, in this Red Zone, which is a highly, strictly secured area,” she said.
Motorist who killed two pro-Palestine protesters in Islamabad identified as army officer — police
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Motorist who killed two pro-Palestine protesters in Islamabad identified as army officer — police
- Protesters encamped at Islamabad’s D-Chowk for several days to raise awareness about the Gaza war
- Earlier this week, a speeding car lost control and ran over several demonstrators, killing two of them
Pakistan rights minister calls for strict action against men for burning woman alive
- Kaneez Fatima was burned alive allegedly by her husband last month in eastern Bahawalnagar city, reports say
- Women in Pakistan face widespread discrimination, domestic violence and workplace harassment, as per rights groups
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Friday urged the Punjab government to take strict legal action against men who are accused of burning a woman alive recently.
As per local media reports, Kaneez Fatima, a mother of five, was burnt alive allegedly by her husband Muhammad Ashraf and six accomplices in the eastern city of Bahawalnagar on Nov. 30.
The report said Fatima had married Ashraf, who was already married to another woman, five years ago. It added that Ashraf often fought with Fatima. Police arrested Ashraf and four of his accomplices on Monday and registered a case against all seven suspects under Sections 302 (punishment for murder), 149 (unlawful assembly), and 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
“The federal minister [Tarar] has called on the Punjab government and relevant law enforcement agencies to conduct an immediate and transparent investigation,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Human Rights said in a statement.
“The federal minister [Tarar] expressed hope that the Punjab government and law enforcement agencies will take strict legal action against those involved in the incident.”
Women in Pakistan face widespread discrimination, domestic violence and workplace harassment, according to rights groups. Several women are also killed each year in Pakistan for so-called honor by men of their family for choosing to marry of their own accord.
Pakistan has introduced several policies to strengthen protections for women, but implementation remains uneven.
In November, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government was taking legislative, administrative and institutional measures to improve safety and expand access to justice including support centers, dedicated police desks for women, hotlines along with financial and legal assistance for survivors.
