March 16th, 2021
By Pervaiz Khan
SUKKUR
Even after eleven days have passed the perpetrators of the rapist and murderer of a seventh-grader from Panu Aqil, Afaq Wagho, could not be caught. The police have registered a case under murder, unnatural acts, and anti-terrorism charges. One of the accused Shafiq has also been taken into custody but the post mortem report of the child proves that the child was gang-raped and the rest of the accused remain at large.
According to Afaq’s father Ehsan Wagho, Afaq had gone to the mosque to offer prayers, but he never came back. He received a message from the Imam of the mosque the very next day that the dead body of his child was found lying on the roof of the mosque.
Even though the police have registered an FIR of the incident they have failed to add charges of rape instead the FIR contains charges of performing unnatural acts.
It should be noted that after the issuance of the Anti-Rape Ordinance in December, sexual intercourse with any gender would be considered rape, but according to Sukkur police, they are not aware of the new laws.
Civil society and family members are expressing distrust with the police investigation. Family members of the victim claim that it took the police 8 days to send DNA samples to the forensics lab.
Despite the medical report proving gang rape, the police insist that there is only one person involved in the crime.
Advocate Gul Feroze, a senior lawyer practicing in Sukkur has called the entire investigation deeply flawed.
According to Afaq’s family, the police did not effectively look for the boy after his disappearance was reported to them. They claim that the horrific nature of the crime makes the perpetrator a threat to the whole society and the incident is no longer just about their son.