Jail trial in motorway gag-rape case adjourned till March 11
A Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday, March 9, adjourned a hearing on the motorway gang-rape incident till Thursday following a cross-examination of four prosecution witnesses, including a lady constable and female doctor.
Abid Malhi and Shafqat Bagga had during interrogation confessed to robbing and gang-raping a French-Pakistani woman in front of her two children near the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway on September 10, 2020. Furthermore, they were identified by the rape survivor during an identity parade, and their DNA samples were found to match blood and other fluids at the crime scene.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sees 45% increase in violence against women in 2020
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Social Welfare Department noted a 45% increase in cases of violence against women, such as domestic and mental abuse, sexual assault, burns and cyber harassment, in Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi and Peshawar districts in 2020. The department attributed this spike to COVID-19 lockdown measures, that forced women to remain indoors with their abusers. To deter violence against women, the organization has established a Bolo Helpline which receives calls from victims – the department promptly responds to these calls by alerting the police, ensuring that the victim is in safe hands, and providing them legal aid.
Two police constables shoot dead youth in Peshawar
Two constables were detained and the SHO of the Faqirabad police suspended on Monday, following the killing of Mubashir Ahmad, a 22-year-old University of Peshawar student from Bannu.
According to Ziaullah, the deceased’s friend, he and Mubashir alongwith another friend, Mohammad Haris, had gone out in at 12 AM Monday to eat. At around 2 AM, Mubashir left the car parked at Dalazak Road to relieve himself. Upon returning, the car’s occupants heard a gunshot and Mubashir cried out that he’d been shot.
Ziaullah stated that two armed policeman came up to them on their bike and directed them to take Mubashir to a hospital for treatment. The wounded youth was taken to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries around 4 PM.
The constables, identified as Roohullah and Rustam were suspended and subsequently remanded in custody by a court for three days. Police have launched an investigation in the case.
