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Yet another day, another rape case, another hashtag, another cry for justice, and to top it all off, another attempt by the government to appease the national sentiment. This devastating cycle never breaks. A soul-wrenching sexual assault case is brought to the limelight. Men kidnapped and gang-raped a woman and her 4-year-old daughter for two long weeks, in the Kashmore area of Sindh.
Police said a group of suspects lured the woman, who is from Karachi, with the promise of a Rs40,000 job in Kashmore. The woman and suspects met at a hospital in Karachi.
According to the FIR, the woman was offered a job on October 25. She traveled there with the men and her four-year-old daughter. The men then detained the pair at Malak’s residence in Kashmore and gang-raped the woman. A medical examination confirmed the gang-rape.
They then released her but kept her daughter. Moreover, told her to bring the woman who was with her during their meeting at the hospital in exchange for the child. They threatened to murder her daughter if the woman did not comply.
Police on the lookout for the culprits
Subsequently, the woman approached the police in Kashmore, who conducted a raid at Malak’s residence. They saw three men, two of whom they identified on the spot as Muhammad Rafique Malak and Khairullah Bugti. However, they did not know the third man.
All three fled when they saw the police and jumped over a wall. Fortunately, Malak landed on a pile of bricks, injuring his legs. The police were able to arrest him but the other two fled. However, the police team has said on record that they will be able to identify the other two on sight.
The police found the child inside and Malak confessed that he had raped her as he was ‘furious’ at her mother. Moreover, the police confirmed that there were marks of violence on the child. That made it apparent that she had been raped. Both the mother and child were shifted to the Taluka Hospital Kashmore.
As of now, the child has been taken to a hospital in Larkana where she is in critical condition. A case has been registered against Malik at the Kashmore police station. He was presented before a Larkana court on Wednesday.
In addition to this, he has been remanded into police custody for three days. According to the police, Malak is a resident of Kashmore and owned land there. Apart from him, the police are on the lookout for the other two accomplices.
Meanwhile, the outraged Twittersphere demands justice for the victims
The country is boiling with anger and demanding justice.
Sindh governor took notice of the incident
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has taken stern notice of the Kashmore gang-rape incident. According to his spokesperson, the governor has telephoned the IG Police and Chief Secretary Sindh seeking an immediate report of the incident.
He said that the Kashmore incident was very tragic and the accused involved in the incident should be arrested as soon as possible and punished.
It is truly disappointing to see Pakistan not doing enough to stem violence against women, including ensuring perpetrators are held accountable. This tragic gang-rape incident followed by the motorway rape case and the rape and murder of a five-year-old has wreaked havoc on many souls.
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