A man from Lodhran has allegedly killed his pregnant wife and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter during a domestic dispute.
The unfortunate double murder took place in Massa Kotha, Kahror Pakka Tehsil of Lodhran.
The police said that the accused, Mohammad Irfan had an argument with his pregnant wife Ruqiya Bibi during which she allegedly slapped him on the face after which he strangled her. He then killed his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Amina by placing a pillow over her mouth, reports Geo.
The victim Ruqiya was married to Irfan for four years. She was four months pregnant with their second child at the time of her demise.
The bodies were transported to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, Irfan was apprehended on-site, while police initiated a thorough investigation into the matter. The cloth used in the murder, pillow, and other evidences were recovered from the crime scene as well.
Muhammad Irfan used to work as a mason in the nearby neighborhood, where he would plaster walls with cement. Around 10 days ago, he expelled his wife from the house after beating and assaulting her. Subsequently, the mother and daughter went to stay with the woman’s father in the neighbourhood of Busti Aaroo Wala, as per The Express Tribune.
Following social pressure, the suspect brought them back home, according to the preliminary investigation.
Upon the request of the victim’s father-in-law, Muhammad Islam, police station Saddar has initiated action against the accused.
The police has vowed that legal proceedings will be pursued rigorously to ensure justice for the victims, Ruqiya Bibi and Amina.
Update: The DPO in Sadiqabad issued an order for departmental action while suspending the ASI for misbehaving with a foreign cyclist.
Explaining the incident, DPO Rahim Yar Khan Rizwan Omar Gondal said that 3 foreign cyclists entered Sadiqabad from Rahim Yar Khan limits from Sindh on Saturday and they were provided security as per SOP.
The cyclists were adamant that no security should be provided to them, upon which the fight took place, says the DPO.
According to the police spokesperson, the foreign cyclist sprayed the ASI in anger, on which the ASI slapped the foreign tourist.
Moreover, departmental action is being taken against the concerned police official by suspending him for inappropriate behavior.
Previously, it was reported three foreign tourists cycling in the Sadiqabad area of South Punjab have raised serious allegations of assault and sexual harassment against the Punjab police. They claim to have entered their jurisdictions on January 25.
A video of the attack on the tourists surfaced on Saturday where a policeman was seen using foul language and snatching the camera from the one documenting it. It was one of many alleged assaults that the cycling tourists, namely Alex Sidney of Italy, Charlie West of the UK, and Motahhareh Abbasi of Iran, had been facing since they entered Punjab. They have always been having a Punjab police escort supposed to ensure their security but the police allegedly attacked them.
Dawn talked to the tourists and the details narrated by them included horrific details of abuse and being manhandled brutally by a policeman, earlier identified as ASI Liaqat. Alex said the situation escalated as the officers reportedly grabbed him by the hair and subjected him to physical abuse.
Regarding the version of police, the tourists were stopped from going to Kashmore, Sindh, an unsafe area, when the confrontation happened. However, Alex said they were not going towards Kashmore but Lahore. He said they had cycled in Sindh, mostly escorted by police, but did not face any such incident there. In Punjab, he claimed, they had taken the same route as was told by police. According to him, it was not the first assault by police. “We entered Punjab on January 25 and started having assaults and harassment from January 26. In earlier assaults, we were hit by police vehicles and motorcycles as they continued telling us that we were going the wrong way. We told them that we were going to a hotel on the national highway. They would try to knock us down.” Motahhareh said the policemen in Punjab would drive their vehicles or ride motorcycles very close to her, sometimes making her get off the road. “On January 26, I fell down and got injured when a policeman stopped his motorcycle suddenly in front of her. And it was quite deliberate. I fell down and injured my leg while my heavy bags fell on me.” Motahhareh later got medical treatment for her leg.
About this alleged assault, Alex said they went to Ahmedpur Lamma Police Station and asked the policeman on the desk to register a complaint, but he refused to do so, asking them to take help from social media.
Motahhareh also raised serious allegations of sexual harassment against police in Pakistan. “Many times, they asked me for my WhatsApp number and kept on insisting. When I asked them the reason, they would start insulting me. At the start I gave my phone number to some of them and they started asking for pictures and sending creepy messages. For the last one month, I have been receiving creepy messages from Pakistani policemen.” She alleged that policemen from all three provinces they travelled in harassed her and the situation was worse in Punjab.
A policeman in Punjab held her hand forcibly for many minutes, said Alex. When asked whether there was a language barrier between the policemen and the tourists, Alex said some of the policemen spoke good English. “Whenever we stopped at some point to have a break, they would continue telling us it’s not safe here and it would be safe after a few kilometers. In fact, they wanted us to go out of their jurisdictions quickly but the next escort would do the same, telling us lies about the route as well.”
Alex said they felt safer without police as the common Pakistanis were very good and hospitable towards them and added that many times in Sindh, they did not have police escort and it was very safe.
Alex said they were staying in Sadiqabad near the site where they were assaulted by police as Motahhareh’s leg was recovering, rejecting the earlier police report that they had left the area for Lahore. He said he wanted to cycle through Punjab and meet the people who are very good. He said they felt safe when they were on their own without police and were in fact more in danger in presence of their escort, which ironically was there to protect them. Charlie West wanted to cycle separately towards Lahore as he rides it fast but the situation is unclear now.
Police in Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad have not provided their official version. However, Dawn’s sources in Rahim Yar Khan police said the tourists had left Sadiqabad hotel they were staying in on Saturday and now they were staying at a restaurant along a filling station in the middle of Sadiqabad and Rahim Yar Khan. The sources denied the allegations of assault but insisted that police escort was there for the tourists’ security.
Alex started his travel on bicycle from Italy in 2022 and cycled through Europe during the last two years. He was joined by Mohtahhare in Tehran when he was travelling towards Pakistan. They entered Pakistan from the Balochistan-Iran border and cycled through Balochistan and Sindh. In Karachi, they were joined by Charlie West who landed in Karachi from the UK.
Four labourers, along with a police official, have been killed while one has been injured in the Nasirabad area of Turbat, Balochistan, in an attack on a police station by unidentified persons on Tuesday. The authorities have declared the attack terrorist activity.
All the labourers killed in the attack were from district Muzaffargarh, South Punjab.
According to police, dead bodies were transferred to the Teaching Hospital in Turbat.
Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai condemned the incident and said that it was a terrorist attack.
The killing marks the second incident of targeted attacks on labourers from South Punjab in Balochistan.
Earlier this month, at least six laborers from Shujabaad were killed in Turbat city. The labourers were sleeping in an under-construction building when they were attacked.
Pink toilets, a project to be implemented in public spaces in Bahawalpur along the highways, has now expanded to government offices across South Punjab.
In the last leg of the project, 433 toilets are to be constructed in government offices throughout the region. They are designed specifically for working and visiting women-a major step towards promotion of gender equality and facilitation of women.
The initiative commenced at the South Punjab Secretariat under the guidance of Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab, Captain (R) Saqib Zafar.
The foundation was laid by the Secretary Services South Punjab, Engineer Amjad Shoaib Khan Tareen. He, while addressing the ceremony, informed the attendees about a survey that has been carried out to identify optimal locations for these facilities. The administration of all three divisions have been asked to complete the project by November 9.
He stated that the project is proof of determination of the management towards the cause of ensuring the well being of women. It also signifies the commitment to the purpose of creating an inclusive and accommodating environment for the female workforce.
Federal Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman warned on Sunday (August 28) that the number of those affected by the floods may cross 33 million as the devastating floods continue.
She said that the government, supported by the United Nations (UN) and other humanitarian agencies, is leading the humanitarian action.
“Kabul River is still at very high flood level at Nowshera as more than 300,000 cusecs of water was crossing the river,” she said, adding that with 500,000 cusecs, water levels in River Indus at Taunsa, Sukkur and Chashma are at “high flood level”.
Calling the floods “a perfect storm”, Sherry Rehman added that as relentless rains had battered the southern parts of the country, the floods in the Indus River devastated the northern areas.
Updating on the relief efforts, she said that as rain has subsided in some areas, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Pakistan Army have amped up rescue efforts.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that gate earnings from the first T20I against England will be donated to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2022.
The match will be played on September 20 at the National Stadium in Karachi and will begin at 7:30pm (local time).
The PCB has urged cricket supporters and fans to buy tickets in large quantities once they go on sale online the following week in order to show solidarity with all those affected by the floods.
“We at the PCB express our grief and sorrow for all those affected by the extreme monsoon rainfall and floods, which has resulted in havoc and devastation beyond imagination, killing over 1,000 and leaving around a million homeless. As cricket unites our proud nation, we stand firmly with the victims and all those involved in the flood relief and rescue operations,” said PCB chairman Ramiz Raja in a statement.
According to the data issued by the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA), at least 1,033 people have died in floods caused by heavy rains in the country.
Floods in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people, which is about 15 per cent of the country’s population. More than a thousand people have lost their lives and millions have been displaced, prompting the government to proclaim a national emergency. This is one of the worst natural calamities in recent times. The harrowing videos and pictures on our television screens and social media show massive devastation, pain, tears, and death spread across the country. Entire villages have been washed away, and there are places that have been fully drenched due to the inundated rain and floods, turning them into islands without any access to the outside world. There are places without electricity, without internet, without phone data, without roads, and without food and help. What Pakistan witnessed in the 2010 floods is not even close to what the country is facing today. A decade later, the country is fully swamped with water. Unfortunately, we the people woke up a little too late to this harsh reality. With every passing day, the death toll increases and so does the destruction.
The national response has been slow, to say the least, but mercifully all governments, federal and provincial, are actively helping the flood victims. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been actively visiting the flood-affected areas and trying to be at the top of his game by showing empathy towards the needy and has categorically said that it is time Pakistanis show unity and keep everything aside to save the flood victims while Chairman PTI Imran Khan will be hosting a telethon for fundraising on Monday. However, Khan has said that the PTI’s movement for Haqeeqi Azadi will continue alongside its flood relief work. PTI held a jalsa in Jehlum for its fight for haqeeqi azadi on August 27. A PTI member took to the stage and said that overseas Pakistanis should not give funds to the flood victims because the present government took away their right to vote. Khan also reiterated that his struggle against thieves will continue whether come what may. Such calamities demand a bipartisan approach from our leaders but well here too we have managed to fail our country. Khan seems pretty adamant that his quest against those he does not approve of will continue, even if there is a flood or war. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the Opposition can keep playing “jalsa, jalsa” while they will deal with the flood catastrophe.
The question remains: will the politicians be able to let their politics take a backseat for now and show some empathy towards their own citizens? Can’t politics, the numbers game, and the blame game wait? For once, our politicians should look beyond their own personal interests and agendas and stand united. Our politicians must give priority to those millions of people who have been affected by floods. It is time that all Pakistanis must donate wholeheartedly. The people need to be prompt with their help and generosity. We hope that partisan politics is put on hold, and all political leaders fully dedicate their voices and efforts to helping the flood victims. They need to be rescued right now and relief efforts must continue. They will later need to be rehabilitated and relocated. It will take a lot of resources and hard work. We must all come together to help them right now. Our political battles can wait.
A 21-year-old American vlogger was allegedly gang-raped by her tour guide and his two accomplices in Dera Ghazi Khan on July 17. A case was registered against Muzamil Sipra, Shehzad and Azaan Khosa by the Border Military Police (BMP).
Yesterday, she shared an update about her case on her Instagram story and said that one of the suspects, Azaan Khosa, had been granted a pre-arrest bail.
“Azaad Khosa had not been arrested for all this time. Today, he obtained a pre-arrest bail and is scheduled to be produced in front of court on August 6.”
She also alleged that the DNA test report “has been subjected to delays and is still pending.” The DNA samples were collected on July 20.
‘Can never recover,’ says foreigner who was raped in DG Khan
Earlier, while talking to the media, the woman revealed she knew the man [one of the culprits] for a long time and is hurt by the fact that he could do something like this.
“I am deeply hurt by the fact that a friend I have known for such a long time was trying to portray a positive image of this beautiful country to foreign travellers, who seemed so trustworthy, could commit such a vile and horrific act,” she said.
She said that she can never recover from the mental scars that the incident has left.
The woman said that the legal proceedings in this regard are very difficult, but there is hope that justice will be served. According to her, so far the proceedings have been smooth.
میں بہت تکلیف میں ہوں، میں سوچ بھی نہیں سکتی تھی کہ پاکستان میں میرا دوست میرے ساتھ اتنی گھٹیا حرکت کرے گا، میں اس ذہنی اذیت سے کبھی نکل نہیں پاؤں گی۔ پاکستان میں گینگ ریپ کا نشانہ بننے والی امریکی لڑکی کا ویڈیو بیان۔ https://t.co/rpKuLXgOga
According to Deputy Commissioner Anwar Baryar, the woman stayed at one of the suspects’ houses in Rajanpur before reaching Fort Munro.
Following the horrendous incident, she registered an official complaint. According to the rape survivor, they raped her in a hotel in Fort Munro.
A case was registered against Sipra, Shehzad and Azan Khosa by Border Military Police (BMP). In a First Information Report (FIR), the survivor said, “We stayed in a hotel at Fort Munro where both suspects gang-raped me”, adding that they also made a video to blackmail her.
She alleged that she was threatened for reporting the matter to the police.
BMP has arrested two suspects involved in this incident. District Police Officer (DPO) of DG Khan tweeted, “This incident has taken place in the limits of Border Military Police (BMP) Tribal Area Police Station Fort Munro. They have taken immediate action on the complaint of a foreign woman.”
یہ واقعہ بارڈر ملٹری پولیس ٹرائبل ایریا تھانہ فورٹ منرو کی حدود میں پیش آیا ہے جس پر بارڈر ملٹری پولیس ٹرائبل ایریا ڈی جی خاں نے غیر ملکی خاتون کی شکایت پر فوری کارروائی کرتے ہوئے اس واقعہ میں ملوث دونوں ملزمان کو گرفتار کر لیا ہے۔ واقعہ میں مزید تمام پہلوؤں سے تفتیش کی جاری ہے۔ https://t.co/GaNbb3AeQQpic.twitter.com/eWZ2h2woex
