Tag: motorway

  • Khalil ur Rehman Qamar called a ‘hypocrite’ after he attends protest for motorway rape victim

    Khalil ur Rehman Qamar called a ‘hypocrite’ after he attends protest for motorway rape victim

    Social media users are calling Khalil ur Rehman Qamar a “hypocrite” after he was spotted at the protest in Lahore held to demand justice for the motorway rape victim.

    According to details, Qamar was also called out by a member of the civil society Husnain Jamil Faridi while he was addressing local media channels, the clip of which has gone viral on social media. Netizens lauded Faridi for bashing Qamar and hit out at the writer for his misogynistic comments.

    Khalil ur Rehman Qamar has been at the receiving end of criticism and hate ever since he publicly abused journalist Marvi Sirmed on live television, back in March.

    ICYMI, a few days before the Aurat March, Qamar and Marvi were invited to be a part of a panel discussion on Neo TV’s show Aaj Ayesha Ehtesham Kay Saath. The topic of discussion was a petition against the Aurat March in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petition, which had called the march “un-Islamic” with a “hidden agenda to spread vulgarity”, had been dismissed by the court that said it couldn’t be banned under the law of the land. Qamar while speaking against the slogan ‘Mera Jism Meri Marzi‘ launched a tirade against Sirmed when she murmured the same as he was talking. He hurled expletives her way and abused her on live television. The TV channel was later fined Rs500,000 (0.5 million) for airing Qamar’s abusive and misogynistic remarks.

    Meanwhile, as per the latest reports, the police have identified one of the suspects behind the gruesome incident that shook the nation. The individual, namely Abid Ali is a resident of Haroonabad town of Punjab’s Bahawalnagar district, is a proclaimed offender, and has been nominated in multiple cases earlier as well. While Ali is still at large, the other suspect identified by the Punjab government Waqarul Hassan reportedly surrendered himself on Sunday at Lahore’s Model Town police station. He claimed that his brother-in-law was using the mobile phone which had wrongly implicated him in the crime, adding that he himself was not involved. The police have said that they will conclude the matter after they receive the DNA report of the suspect.

  • ‘We want answers’, Mahira Khan tells PM Imran

    ‘We want answers’, Mahira Khan tells PM Imran

    Following the harrowing Motorway Rape Incident and growing intolerance towards Shias in Sindh, Mahira Khan penned a note saying that she stands with the “Shias of my country”, the “women of this country” and “against anything that goes against the basic foundation of this country”.

    Addressing Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mahira said: “We all want answers. Answers for women being raped, for those in power victim shaming, for minorities being called kaafir.”

    “We want answers,” asserted the actor.

    Read more – Coronavirus: Atif Aslam, Mahira Khan appreciate PM Khan for his efforts

    Besides Mahira, several other celebrities including Feroze Khan, Imran Abbas and Farhan Saeed have urged PM Imran to take strict action and make an example out of those involved in the motorway gang-rape.

    https://twitter.com/ImranAbbas/status/1304290321157758976?s=20

    Meanwhile, Asim Azhar told PM Khan that he’s “afraid our country is coming to a point where being from a particular sect can end your life.”

  • DNA matched in motorway gang-rape case; arrests to follow

    DNA matched in motorway gang-rape case; arrests to follow

    Hours after rejecting a private media outlet’s claims that the prime suspect of the motorway gang-rape case had been arrested, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Saturday announced that one of the culprits had been identified following DNA testing and will soon be apprehended.

    Taking to Twitter to share the news, Dr Gill congratulated Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh and the entire team.

    “DNA matched. The arrest will also soon be made. The people should know that Usman Buzdar, the IGP and the [Lahore] CCPO were in a meeting until 4 am. The CM himself has monitored the entire case,” he tweeted.

    “Actions speak louder than words,” Dr Gill added.

    Earlier in the day, Dr Gill, in a vaguely-worded tweet, had said thanked Allah for his help and for listening to the prayers of the people.

    LAHORE-SIALKOT MOTORWAY RAPE CASE:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

  • ARY says prime suspect of motorway gang-rape case arrested; govt says that’s not true

    ARY says prime suspect of motorway gang-rape case arrested; govt says that’s not true

    Punjab police have arrested the prime suspect of the motorway gang-rape case, ARY has reported citing sources; but the claim has been dismissed by the senior-most police officer of Punjab as well as Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide Dr Shahbaz Gill.

    According to reports, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani has dismissed reports that a suspect in the Lahore motorway rape case had been arrested, terming them as incorrect. 

    “News on the arrest of a suspect on TV channels and social media are incorrect,” said IGP Ghani, adding that he would share any development in the case with media as he was monitoring the investigation himself.

    “Such unconfirmed news affects the case and is also misleading for the public,” said the top cop.

    He also said that pictures of the woman and the suspects being shared on social media were fake, and urged media to not run reports before confirming them. “We will soon arrest the accused and bring them to justice,” Ghani vowed.

    Earlier, ARY cited Punjab government sources as saying that search for the second suspect involved in the gang-rape was underway.

    The claim was, however, also dismissed by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill, who said it was incorrect but the police were working hard.

    The tweet was followed by ARY Senior Executive Vice President Ammad Yousaf’s statement that the media organisation stood by its story.

    It wasn’t later that Dr Gill tweeted back.

    What do you think is going on? Let The Current know in the comments below

  • ‘I was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight’: Khadija Siddiqi shuts up Lahore CCPO

    ‘I was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight’: Khadija Siddiqi shuts up Lahore CCPO

    Barrister Khadija Siddiqi, who was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight in Lahore, has reminded Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh of what happened in her case, shutting him up for his statement blaming the motorway gang-rape survivor for travelling alone with her three kids past midnight.

    “I was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight! Don’t tell us that ‘time’ is directly connected to the commission of offense!” she tweeted while also asking as to under what authority could the CCPO set “time limits” on women’s travel.

    The officer, who is also supposed to be leading the investigation of the motorway rape case, is being criticised for using language that tantamounts to victim-blaming.

    “I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” CCPO Sheikh had said while speaking to Dunya News.

    He went on to say that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

  • ‘Shoot me dead and don’t tell anyone,’ motorway gang-rape survivor quoted as telling first responders

    ‘Shoot me dead and don’t tell anyone,’ motorway gang-rape survivor quoted as telling first responders

    The survivor of the motorway gang-rape has been quoted by a journalist as asking the first responders to shoot her dead and do not tell anyone about what had happened.

    “A journalist friend was told by an investigating official that when the police reached the crime scene of #MotorwayRape the survivor started begging the cops to shoot her dead and not tell anyone about the incident,” journalist Ailia Zehra tweeted.

    “Can’t even begin to imagine what she must be going through,” she added.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    LEAs EXPOSED:

    Separately, the delayed response to emergency calls made by the motorway rape victim have also exposed the level of coordination among the law enforcement agencies despite the government spending billions of rupees on the Safe City Project, The News reported Friday.

    An initial investigation into the incident and contradictory statements of senior officers confirmed that there was a lack of coordination between the Lahore Police and Motorway Police that resulted in a delayed response providing criminals enough time to flee after committing the crime.

    On the second day of the incident, Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh said the victim had not called the police herself for help. Some of her relatives called the Motorway Police at 1:30 am.

    On the other hand, Motorway Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kaleem Imam said that the victim called the Motorway Police at 2:01 am and was informed that the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway does not fall in their jurisdiction.

    However, the Motorway Police forwarded the call to the FWO immediately. The lady didn’t get any help from the FWO either.

    Later on, a claim of the Dolphin Force surfaced that they received 15 calls at 2:49 am and reached the spot at 2:53 am. A cop of Dolphin Force said as he reached the spot, the woman was “stunned”.

    “She didn’t speak. She mustered up the courage after some time and then told the whole tragedy.”

    However, the Gujjarpura police in its FIR stated that they reached the spot at 4 am and didn’t find anyone there.

    A senior police officer requesting anonymity told The News that factually the Lahore Police and the Motorway Police had delayed the response over jurisdiction.

    They said the Safe City Project was launched after spending billions of rupees for a well-coordinated response and surveillance but the recent incident has exposed it as well.

    They added that call logs should be made part of investigations and strict action should be taken against the responsible persons.

  • VIDEO: Police blame mother-of-three survivor for gang-rape, say ‘she should have taken GT Road’

    Lahore’s new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh, who was earlier this week blamed for the removal of Punjab’s fifth inspector general of police (IGP) in two years, has now made headlines for blaming a gang-rape victim for the incident.

    “I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he said while speaking to Dunya News.

    Sheikh went on to say that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    PUBLIC REACTION:

    With the incident making headlines and medical reports confirming gang-rape, social media flooded with posts by the general public as well as political leaders in support of the survivor and against the authorities over their “continuous failure to protect the people”.

    Amid public outcry, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide on political communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill, said that on Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s directives, Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh will lead the investigation.

    “Urban and rural policing techniques are being used,” he said, adding that CCTV footage and DNA matching was being used in the probe.”

    Dr Gill further said that around 12 suspects have been arrested.

    ‘POLICE DOING GREAT WORK’:

    Earlier, newly-appointed IGP Inam Ghani claimed that police have secured “evidence” that will lead them to the culprits.

    “We have done great work so far in the motorway rape case. We have located the village from which the suspects were from,” the IGP revealed in a conversation with Geo News. 

    He also shared that 20 police teams were working on the case and being overseen by a deputy inspector-general (DIG).

    Ghani shared that the survivor had provided ages and other identifying features of the suspects. “Right now, we have a very good clue which will lead us to the suspects directly. However, we cannot share it with the media yet.”

    He also shared that police have obtained the complete voter list and record from the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) of the area where the suspects are believed to have hailed from. 

    IG Ghani said that the woman’s children, who were forced to witness the horrific crime, were now with their family, who have been assured that they will be provided all kinds of support. He hoped that the victims of the attack would be in a much better state when the suspects are arrested.

  • Medical reports confirm gang-rape on Lahore motorway

    Medical reports confirm gang-rape on Lahore motorway

    Medical reports have confirmed that the woman who was robbed at the motorway was also gang-raped.

    Media reports had earlier claimed that she had been subjected to sexual assault in front of her children. 

    As per reports, the woman with her two children, was stuck on the road as her car ran out of fuel in the Gujjar Pura area of Lahore. Two unidentified men attacked them and broke the window of their car.

    They took the woman to nearby fields where she was gang-raped and later robbed by the men who fled the scene promptly.

    After the news of the incident made headlines, the Punjab government took “serious notice” and tweeted that the victim will be served justice and the culprits will soon be behind bars.

    The police have set up check posts across the province after preparing the sketch of the accused. The village of the accused has been identified and an extensive search operation is underway. At least 12 suspects have already been arrested.  

    Also Read: Police arrest man who allegedly gang-raped TikTok friend

    According to earlier details, the woman had called the motorway police and asked for help but the police reportedly “refused to provide her help”.

    Many celebrities, social activists and other social media users took to Twitter to condemn the incident and demanded public hanging of the rapists.

    https://twitter.com/dr__jhatka/status/1303912625970065410?s=20

  • From overspeeding to overloading: Here’s what you need to know before travelling on the motorway

    From overspeeding to overloading: Here’s what you need to know before travelling on the motorway

    Violating traffic rules on the motorway will cause a bigger dent on your pocket now, after the the Ministry of Communications revised the fines for traffic violators.

    Speeding will now cost you a fine of Rs1,500 if you’re on a motorcycle and Rs2,500 for a car. Public Service Vehicles, taxis, buses or even Careem and Uber, will have to pay Rs10,000 for speeding. If they drive more than 40km/h over the speed limit, the fines will be even higher.

    Violating traffic signals also costs more now. Jumping a red light will result in a fine of Rs 5,000. If you drive through a flashing red light, it’ll cost you Rs2,000 and driving through a flashing yellow light will cost you Rs1,000.

    If buses and coaches will have more passengers than the allowed number of people then it will be fined Rs5,000.

    Here is the list of some major fines:

    Rs,5000 for driving at night without proper lights.

    Rs1,500 for not wearing your seatbelt while driving.

    Rs500 for using your phone while driving.

    Rs1,500 for overtaking where it has been prohibited.

    Rs1,000 for driving out of your lane.

    Rs3,000 for disobeying stop signs.

    Rs5,000 for interfering with an emergency vehicle.

    Rs2,500 for driving on the wrong side of the road.

    Rs1,000 for following a vehicle too closely or cutting them off too sharply.

    Rs750 for driving with your rear screen partially or fully covered.

    Rs5,000 for one-wheeling.

    Rs1,000 for opening doors dangerously.