LAHORE:
The accused man Jafar Khokhar has filed his pre-arrest bail petition in Additional and Sessions Court Lahore, and a date for the hearing has been set for 2nd January 2015.
The incident occurred on 6th December,2014 at around 6pm. Nusrat Bibi along with her sister Rani Bibi and one of her daughter’s and a niece were returning home after finishing work at a factory. When they reached near their home in Toka Wala Chowk, Village Satokitla a Muslim man Jafar Khokhar started hooting and molesting her daughter.
Nusrat asked him to stop and got in the way of the man and her daughter. The man became enraged and started to beat them all with a cricket bat. He grabbed Nusrat’s daughter by her hand and taunted them by asking what they would do to stop him. He tried to take the daughter forcibly but the mother grabbed her daughter and beat the man off as best as she could.
Mr Khokar then took up the cricket bat and started to beat them again. Nusrat and her sister Rani were severely beaten and their clothes had been torn off.
Nusrat Bibi said;
“I thank God that my daughter’s dignity has been preserved and that she is safely at home with his family. Mr Khokar has broken my bones, but my God will repair them and will protect me from the hands of such evil wolves.”
She added;
“The man thought that in our fear we would hand over our precious daughter, but he had to use a bat to hurt me. I hurt him also, as my God the God of David made me stronger then the stone that killed Goliath.”
None of the local Muslim people came to help. After all this brutality Mr Khokar is alleged to have thrown the mother on a pile of garbage and ran away.
After a long protest by Nusrat’s family and on the intervention of activists, a FIR No.1124 under sections 337/5-6 and 354 PPC has been registered against mr Khokar dated 13 December,2014 at Police Station Satokitla,Lahore.
However local groups are stating that the police investigation is being stalled and conducted by Police who support the accused. No attempt is being made to arrest him instead the accused and police officials are conniving to pressure Nusrat to accept a financial compromise. The family have received several threats from the local Muslim community.
Women of religious minorities are easy targets of violence in the form of physical torture and rape, particularly against Christians. In general, such attacks have been increasing in Pakistan since the western war on terror which is viewed by many global Muslim’s as a crusade.
The issue of prejudice in Pakistan where the Christians are a small minority and officially represent only 1.6% of the 180 million Pakistanis has often been highlighted. Yet nothing to improve the condition of Christians seems to have materialised.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA said;
“The lives of Christian women are fraught with increasing dangers. Rape, beatings and torture at the hands of religious extremists have left parents despondent and fearful. As a father of three daughters I comprehend their fears and stand with them in solidarity. I ask other people of good conscience to take up the banner and challenge for reform in a nation that has reached a Nadir.”
He added;
“It is imperative that justice for these women is forthcoming. Failure to do so will empower perpetrators who will no doubt continue the malicious violence, due to perceived impunity.”
