Rights Watch | 23rd June 2020

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Rights Watch

Clinic Worker Booked For Blackmail

The Federal Investigation Agency’s cybercrime wing booked an anesthesia assistant at a private clinic in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for blackmailing female patients of whom the accused had shot videos of giving birth. The accused Amanullah had recorded 42 videos which were recovered from his possession upon arrest – the clinic’s owner had fired Amanullah after receiving complaints from patients, but the accused in turn began blackmailing the owner, threatening to release the videos to social media.

Women Killed In Separate Incidents

A Swabi man shot and murdered his sister and brother-in-law, and left their bodies in a field as retribution for marrying against their family’s wishes in another incident of honour killing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Meanwhile, Alia Bibi of Daska, Punjab, lost the battle for her life at a civil hospital in after being poisoned by her husband following a domestic quarrel.

Sikh Marriage Act In Limbo

Despite its passage two years ago, Punjab’s Sikh Marriage Act which allows Sikh couples to legally register marriages and obtain divorce, is yet to be implemented. Lawmakers have explained that the delays in its enactment were initially due to work on the Kartarpur corridor, and now due to the COVID-19 situation.

KP Wrought With Typhoid

A worrying boom in typhoid cases compounded with the existing coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a new health crisis for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Typhoid cases are flooding hospitals and clinics in the hundreds, baffling doctors. Although symptoms overlap, it is yet unknown if there is a link between typhoid and COVID-19.