Tag: torture

  • What you need to know about viral video of lawyer who was kidnapped and tortured for a week

    DISCLAIMER: A picture of the survivor has been used while respecting her decision to come forward and making her voice heard

    A police team has been formed to probe the kidnapping and week-long torture of a woman lawyer, Advocate Irshad Nasreen, who was recovered from Mailsi, the district police officer (DPO) has said.

    The DPO, while formally announcing the woman’s recovery, said the special team, comprising the superintendent of police (SP) for investigation, Shamsul Haq, and two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), was tasked with searching for and arresting the kidnappers.

    The police officer noted that a FIR [First Information Report] — including charges of kidnapping — was registered on behalf of the woman’s son on August 22.

    The special team was investigating the case in light of her recorded statement, Geo quoted the cop as saying.

    The woman has been shifted to the Dipalpur Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital, the police officer said.

    A resident of Dipalpur, police had earlier told media that Nasreen was recovered in a semi-conscious state from a field near Dhoda Road in Mailsi. She was found with her hands and legs tied and unable to speak.

    The day she was recovered, police said she told them she had been kidnapped from her office by unidentified men on August 14.

    A viral video that followed her recovery showed the lawyer in a traumatised state.

    Further investigation was underway, police added.

    On Monday, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan also reportedly took notice of the incident after the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) issued a statement condemning incidents of targeted killings, kidnappings and incidents of torture of lawyers.

    In the statement, PBC Vice Chairperson Abid Saqi strongly condemned the incident, saying the increasing lawlessness in Pakistan was extremely concerning. Five lawyers have been shot dead in targeted killing so far, including four in Punjab and one in Sindh, he said.

    Three lawyers in Lahore, Pakpattan, Sialkot were kidnapped and tortured, Saqi added.

    The PBC official said the torture and abduction of the woman lawyer was extremely worrisome. The woman lawyer, he added, was tortured continuously for six days after her abduction.

    She was recovered in a very critical condition in the fields in Mailsi, he added.

    Saqi further said these incidents of violence have made lawyers vulnerable and their safety compromised. The government’s indifference to targeted killings, kidnappings, and violence in just three weeks was reprehensible, he added.

    It was the duty of the government and the administration to improve the law and order situation, he said, lamenting that the incumbent leadership had failed to protect its citizens.

    The official said the current situation called into question the ability of the government. He demanded action against those involved in the targeted killings, kidnapping, and torture of lawyers.

    Meanwhile, according to reports, she was once kidnapped earlier in October 2019 as well.

  • Zobia Meer Case: Mother forgives son who physically, verbally abused her

    Arsalan Qureshi’s mother, whom he physically and verbally tortured, has forgiven him for his doings. In a video posted to social media, she said that she has forgiven her son and does not want any legal action to be taken against him.

    In another video, Arsalan along with his wife apologised to his mother for his actions, adding that depression and stress was the reason behind his actions because he had faced loss in his business.

    A few days ago, a video posted by a girl, Zobia Meer went viral on social media in which her brother Arsalan Meer, could be seen verbally and physically abusing his mother.

    The incident sparked outrage on social media and many people including celebrities, journalists and social activists demanded justice for Zobia Meer and her mother. Later, Arsalan was arrested for thrashing his mother and sought forgiveness for his wrongdoings.

  • Bureaucracy in Naya Pakistan: Deputy commissioner ‘tortures’ subordinates over ‘poor performance’

    Bureaucracy in Naya Pakistan: Deputy commissioner ‘tortures’ subordinates over ‘poor performance’

    Despite Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan telling bureaucrats that they need to change their mindsets because “there is no room for ancient practices in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Naya Pakistan”, The Current has learnt details of the harrowing experience of a group of junior bureaucrats who were “subjected to torture” by their boss in Toba Tek Singh district of Punjab.

    According to sources, at least four of the said junior bureaucrats — currently serving as assistant commissioners (ACs) in different parts of the district — were subjected to torture by the deputy commissioner (DC) who “robbed” them of their official vehicles on late Saturday night and forced them to walk back to their posts over “poor performance”.

    “The ACs included those of Toba Tek Singh, Kamalia, Pir Mahal and Gojra tehsils,” they said and added the junior bureaucrats were ridiculed in front of lower staff of the DC Office as well as that of their own. “Reprimanding your juniors over unsatisfactory performance is one thing but mistreating them, the way it was in this case, is outrageous.”

    Speaking to The Current, one of the ACs, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that they had been subjected to torture as the DC, besides taking away their official vehicles, had also mistreated them by forcing them to stand outside the office as a punishment until around 1 am when they were told to walk back home. “We managed to make arrangements for our commute but three of us were women, and family members of my colleagues believe the mistreatment has scarred their daughters for life.”

    “This is not at all acceptable and we want the government to take action but it can cost us our careers,” said the AC, to which sources said that the victims feared calling their boss out or approaching high-ups because their immediate superior, which in this case is the DC, is responsible to evaluate them in the annual confidential report (ACR) that is a performance evaluation of a public servant.

    Toba Tek Singh tehsil AC, on the other hand, rejected his own colleagues’ claims. “It was just a routine meeting and nothing happened,” he said. When informed that his colleagues had already confirmed the claims regarding their mistreatment, the AC said “the DC can say anything to her officers”.

    “It was a meeting between the DC and her officers and we, under ethics of the service, are bound to obey the orders of our seniors.”

    Contrary to Toba Tek Singh AC’s beliefs, several other public servants and locals privy to the development are of the view that the DC “must be transferred for the sake of the people of the district as Eidul Azha and Muharram amid the coronavirus pandemic are around the corner and local authorities under such a supervisor cannot give their best at a sensitive time”.

    “There is a difference between running a tight ship and stooping as low as the DC did,” they say, urging Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar to take action.

    Repeated attempts were made to contact Toba Tek Singh DC as she was informed of the claims made by her subordinates but she did not comment.

    Attempts were also made to contact Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan to ask him about the government’s reaction to the incident and progress on its promise of revamping bureaucracy for better governance, but he too was unavailable.

    Meanwhile, PTI Toba Tek Singh President Dr Waheed Akbar Chaudhry and local leader as well as Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar’s brother, Chaudhry Muhammad Ramzan, have “appreciated” the DC over her treatment of the ACs.

    “People are always complaining about these officers for doing nothing. Whatever the DC has done was the right thing to do and we hope she will continue discharging her duties diligently and without any leniency,” they said in a statement.

  • Edhi shelter raided after girl allegedly dies of torture

    Edhi shelter raided after girl allegedly dies of torture

    A judicial magistrate along with the team of the Sindh Social Welfare Department raided an Edhi shelter home in Karachi’s Clifton Thursday after a girl allegedly died of torture there.

    A woman in her complaint registered in the Clifton police station had stated that a girl was tortured to death by a teacher at the shelter home.

    As per reports, SSWD (Sindh Social Welfare Department) officials took seven girls into protective custody during the raid. The statements of around 150 girls were documented in the presence of the judicial magistrate and seven of them complained that they were tortured. The girls were handed over to the Sindh Social Welfare Department.

    Meanwhile, the Head of the Edhi Foundation Faisal Edhi rebutted the allegations and termed the case as baseless saying that the girl died a natural death because she was sick.

    “It was a natural death that was why it wasn’t reported to the police”, he stated.

    He said the complainant had been living in the shelter home since her childhood, adding that her brother wanted to take her home with him which is why “all these stories were being made up”.

    Faisal further said that 150 girls were present inside the shelter home at the time of the raid and only seven of them agreed to leave, adding that the girls who were taken into protective custody had “liberal views”.