Daily Archives: August 1, 2022

TOBA TEK SINGH: Thirteen people cut off the nose, both ears and a lip of a constable in the name of honour in the Sajjowal area of Jhang.

Tahir Imran, a cousin of Qasim Hayat, a constable posted at the Kot Shakir Police Station, told Masan police that Iftikhar had suspicion that Qasim had illicit relations with his wife. Iftikhar, in connivance with 12 accomplices of his Sajoka Mukhtiana clan, chopped Qasim`s body parts off.

The victim was admitted to the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital. Masan police registered a case against 13 people under sections 324,109,148 and 149 of the PPC.

On July 16, the same police station had registered a case against Constable Qasim under sections 354 (assault on woman), 384 (extortion) and 292 (pornography) of the PPC in which Aftab, a son of Iftikhar, had claimed that Qasim, a neighbour, had forced his mother to make illicit relations with him with the threat of killing her son.

When she met him to convince him to change his views, he overpowered her, made her movie and extorted Rs150,000 from her through blackmail on different occasions. He later made her video viral on social media.

Masan police SHO Mehr Zulfiqar said impartial investigation would be made into both FIRs.

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DERA GHAZI KHAN: The first school for transgender persons from primary to higher secondary education has been established in the city with the collaboration of Japan.

The evening school has been launched at the Girls High School No 1, Dera Ghazi Khan, with the collaboration of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Punjab School Education Department.

District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Masood Ahmed told Dawn the government had decided to bring the transpersons community into the mainstream by educating its members. In this regard, a transgender persons school had been established with enrolment of 12 transgender students, he said and added that a four-member trained teaching staff had also been employed for the school where primary, elementary, high and higher secondary classes would be held.

If the students go for primary level learning, they would be provided with abridged course with Package A, Package B and Package C in the form of integrated learning, developed by JICA, duly approved by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) so that a learner may be able to start attending elementary classes within shortest possible time.

Teachers would be provided with training for this Accelerated LearningProgramme by technical assistance of JICA. In case, if any higher secondary student from transgender community arrives, she may be offered a chance of teaching if she is capable enough for this task. She would teach primary students and might continue her own studies in higher classes, as well. The idea is to educate all transgender students so that they may earn a decent livelihood.

Furthermore, qualified transpersons would be welcomed and encouraged for teaching other members of their community.

Primary Students would be taught English, Math and Urdu (integrated book for social studies, Islamiat and Science) while Elementary students Urdu, English, Mathematics, General Science, Islamiat and Pak Studies. The syllabus for high school students would include Urdu, English, Mathematics, General Science, Islamiat and Pak Studies along with two elective subjects of students` own choice in accordance with board of intermediate and secondary education (BISE) examination system.

For higher secondary school students, it would be Urdu, English, Mathematics, General Science, Islamiat, and Pak Studies along with two elective subjects of students` own choice in accordance with the BISE curriculum.

It would be initially twoand-a-half hours school that may be further moved to three hours after a year. In summer, the timing would be from 3pm to 5:30pm and in winter, the timing would be 2:30pm to 5:00pm.

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HARIPUR: A woman councillor was stabbed to death and her two sons were injured when their neighbour attacked them with a knife here late on Saturday night, police said here on Sunday.

City police quoted the injured complainant Fahad Ali, son of Ashfaq of Mohallah Afzalabad, as saying that one of their neighbours Hamza, son of Zahoor Elahi, was a peddler and addict and because of this his wife left him a few days ago. Mr Ali said Hamza wanted their mother to intervene and bring his estranged wife back.

The complainant said Hamza came to their home on Saturday night with the same request that their mother declined, on which he attacked his (Ali`s) mother with a knife injuring her critically. When the complainant and his brother Khurram tried to overpower the accused, he also left them injured.

The injured mother and her sons were taken to the trauma centre where doctors pronounced Rabia Bibi, 35, a lady councillor of neighbourhood council No 9, Haripur, as brought dead, while the injured complainant and his brother were admitted.

Later, some of the victims` relatives set the house of the accused ablaze, but rescue worl(ers soon extinguished the fire.

Meanwhile a young construction worker was electrocuted while working on the roof of a mosque in Panian village.

Quotingarea people, the police said that some labourers were busy working on the roof of an under-construction building of a mosque in Panian when hand of one of them accidentally touched the electricity line and he suffered a severe shock.

The labourer, later identified as Shabir Ahmed, 30, was taken to the trauma centre where the doctors pronounced him dead. -Correspondent

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MIRPURKHAS: A tortured body of an unidentified elderly man stuffed in a plastic bag was found near the Left Bank Outfall Drain near Balochabad here on Sunday.

Some villagers spotted the suspicious bag and informed area police who found the body inside after opening up the bag and shifted it to mortuary of Mirpurkhas Civil Hospital where it was kept for identification.

Deer carcass found A carcass of a deer was found in desert near Kaloi town on Sunday.

Some villagers found the carcass and informed wild life department officials who took it into custody and began investigation into the reasons behind the animal`s death.

The villagers said that some mysterious disease had afflicted the deer and their carcasses were appearing at different places in the district.

They demanded the authorities concerned order a thorough inquiry into the animals` deaths and save their lives from the mysterious disease.

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RAWALPINDI: A woman from Faisalabad who lived in Afshan Colony claims that she was raped by a man who also blackmailed her, extorted money from her ever since she contacted him about a job at a factory in her hometown.

She said the suspect raped her after blackmailing her, adding after the incident happened she left the city (Faisalabad) and settled in Afshan colony. Despite having replaced her number, the suspect managed to trace her and reached Rawalpindi.

She said after she refused to meet him, he threatened to tell her family members about what had happened.

She said that she was asking him to leave but he started extorting money from her and blackmailing her.

She said that her children had gone out when he came to her house and attempted to rape her.

However, she started to yell which is why he escaped, the first information report (FIR) stated.

Meanwhile, another woman was kidnapped by unidentified people who called her to the office of a senior police officer.

Zafar Iqbal, a resident of Sanober colony, lodged an FIR with the Sadar Barooni police saying that his daughter received a phone call from the office of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and the caller asl(ed his daughter to come to his office on Wednesday as she had already filed a complaint against some people.

He said that his daughter left her house in her car responding to the phone call. As soon as the girl`s father learned about this, he went to the office of the DSP to look for his daughter but was unable to find her. He said that the DSP office personnel denied that she had contacted or visited their office.

He further said that after failing to find his daughter at the office of DSP, he searched all hospitals and also inquired from other people but could not find her.

He believed that six people had kidnapped his daughter due to a property dispute.

The police have registered an FIR against six individuals on the charges of kidnapping on Saturday and launched an investigation.

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PESHAWAR: A young woman rights activist has recently earned an international award for producing a short film titled `She stood against religious extremism` for the year 2022, sponsored by US-based organisation `Empowerment Women Media` (EWM).

It was the fifth annual event conducted under the EWM. The winning short film will be screened at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) summit in Washington DC in October this year.

Zeenat Khan, a resident of Malakand, was given cash prize of $3,000 in a ceremony held recently in Islamabad for participating in the `Women Empowerment and Religious Freedom Film competition`. She has been working on women rights and interfaith harmony for the last 12 years.

She is also the founder of Gender Lens, a youth forum for women rights.

`Young women can make effective use of digital media to bring about a substantive societal change. Women and children are mostly victims of violence. They should come forward to contribute positively to society by promoting interfaith harmony,` she told this scribe.

Zeenat Khan said after doing Masters in journalism more than a decade ago from University of Peshawar, she decided to utilise her skills for addressing social issues related to interfaith, youth and religious minorities.

It was an uphill task but she embarked upon the journey despite family restrictions.

After having settled in Peshawar, she said that she initiated a project to launch a dialogue between different religious communities to reconnect them for a peaceful community life as it was before. She said that shecame to know that before the wave of militancy and extremism in the city and elsewhere in the country, religious minorities used to live a peaceful life.

`Extremism bred hatred among communities to the extent that they stopped to attend festivals arranged by next door neighbor. Mutual respect and love were replaced by hatred and animosity. I floated the idea of telling a story that should showcase the situation and it was approved by the jurists,` said Ms Khan.

Her short film is based on a true story of a young woman in a war-stricken region of Pakistan who initiates a dialogue by approaching every single religious community and holds sessions with youth and convince d them to work for peaceful coexistence.

`The remarks of EWM executive director and author of `The Muslims Next Door` Shirin Taber about my short film that we were amazed to witness the creativity of Pakistani women filmmakers, such films have the potential to change the lives, mean a lot for me,` she said.

Ms Khan said that the basic theme of the short film was to promote interfaith harmony and counter sectarian violence through dialogue where influencers and youth were engaged in a friendly manner.

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LAHORE: The Punjab local government and community development department has issued updated Form-II of nikahnama and directed the union councils` secretaries to ensure provision of the marriage document to the nikah registrars for solemnising nikah in their respective jurisdictions.

A handout says the Form-II of nikahnama has been appended to the Punjab Muslim Family Rules under Muslim Family Law Ordinance, 1961, containing there the amendment regarding incorporation of oath of Khatam-e-Nabuwat (finality of prophethood) with a direction to ensure that the only updated document should be used to solemnise the nikah.

It says the nikah registrars have been directed to use the updated Form-II to solemnise the nikah, failing which strict disciplinary action shall be taken against the UC secretary concerned.

If a nikah registrar isfound not using the updated Form-II, he shall be proceeded against under sub-rule (4) of Rule 7 of Punjab Muslim Family Rules under Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, it warns.

Both the bride and the groom will be required to sign the oath of Khatame-Nabuwat at the time of solemnising nikah, it says.

The law states, `If any person to whom a licence has been granted under this rule contravenes any of the conditions of such license, he shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to two hundred rupees or with both` The move to incorporate the oath of Khatam-eNabuwat in the nikahnama was initiated by Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as speaker of the Punjab Assembly and the amendment was made through legislation.

-Staff Reporter

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PESHAWAR: A local court on Saturday sent a man arrested on charges of assaulting three minor girls and murdering two of them on a 14-day judicial remand.

Earlier, a court had granted the police one-day physical custody of Sohail alias Hazrat Ali, a resident of Sufaid Dheri. He was arrested on Thursday.

The suspect was presented before the judicial magistrate, where he confessed to the crime. The court was informed that the suspect sexually assaulted three minor girls in the limits of the cantonment police station and murdered two of them.

He is alleged to have murdered two minor girls on July 3 and 17 after assaulting them. He assaulted another one on July 10.

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Police say victim’s in-laws portrayed her killing as a suicide

KOTLI SATTIAN:
Police arrested four suspects, including three women, for their involvement in the murder of a woman in Dhan Garan area of Kotli Sattian three days ago.

Police said the suspects killed the woman and portrayed her death as a suicide. The deceased Ayesha Bibi had tied the knot with Shamraz Satti three years ago. She was found dead in mysterious circumstances at the house of her in-laws.

Muhammad Bilal, the brother of the deceased, filed a case in the Kotli Sattian police station, in which he claimed that he was informed by Muhammad Nawaz, father-in-law of his sister, that his sister had committed suicide by shooting herself, and that the people of the village had brought the body to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Kotli Sattian.

However, when Bilal reached the hospital, he saw his sister’s body lying in a pool of blood.

Suspecting the murder of his sister, he had filed a complaint alleging that Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Shiraz, Kausar, Rashida Bibi, and Saila Bibi had together killed Ayesha for unknown reasons and had, later on, try to portray her death as a suicide case.

The police arrested the accused after a thorough investigation, moreover, the SHO stated that her in-laws had tried to stage a drama of suicide.

The arrested include the woman’s father-in-law Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Shiraz, Arshad Bibi, and Kausar. SP Kohsar Haider Ali said that all legal requirements will be fulfilled to ensure that the arrested accused are punished.

No matter how vicious the accused are, they cannot escape from the grip of the law.

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Tehmina was held on suspicion of her involvement in Surya’s killing

KARACHI:
Police have released a housemaid who was taken into custody in connection with the murder of a businessman in the jurisdiction of New Town police station. Tehmina was set free after police investigation confirmed that she was not present at the crime scene on the day businessman Rizwan Surya was murdered on July 26.

According to police, Surya’s family alleged that Tehmina had left their home after work in the afternoon and returned in the evening with other suspects to murder the businessman. Tehmina was taken into custody by police from the Khokhrapar area.

However, footage from CCTV cameras installed at the location confirms Tehmina had not returned after leaving the house in the afternoon while the GPS device of her mobile phone showed that she at her own home at the time of incident. After this, police released Tehmina on the condition that she would come whenever called by police.

According to police, the suspected killers might have fled to Punjab by train after the murder. Police have also obtained CCTV footage in which the suspects could be seen fleeing to the railway station. Their faces are clearly recognizable in the video footage.

DIG East Muqaddas Haider said that they could not ascertain the motives behind Rizwan Surya’s murder. He suspected that Suriya might have been killed by a familiar or close person.

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