April 26th, 2021
By Zeenat Shehzadi
FAISALABAD
L*, a 14-year old teenage girl of Jaranwala, is carrying the burden of another soul inside her body and that too without her will and consent.
Although life has never been an easy ride for L* as she lost her father when she was only nine, things became far more unbearable when on December 14, 2020, events took an ugly turn.
L* had gone outside her house to do some shopping when suddenly a van intercepted her on the street and she was yanked inside, speeding away. That was the last L saw of her neighbourhood for a long time.
“I was kidnapped by three women named Farzana, Mussarat, and Nanhi along with a young boy,” L related to Voicepk.net. “The boy covered my mouth with his hand so I wouldnt scream when they forced me into the vehicle. Then they took me to an unknown place.”
All of this seemed to be done in great speed, even in the presence of a few eyewitnesses. But for the police it took at least a week even to lodge the first information (FIR) report of the kidnapping.
“My kidnappers used to give me drugs to intoxicate me. They forced me to prostitute for a few weeks. After that, they solemnized my nikkah (marriage) with a 50-year old man, without my will or consent.”
While L* was going through this ordeal, her family was having sleepless nights, and was running from pillar to post to recover her and bring her back safely.
But L’s* suffering and her family’s struggle lasted for four months. She was finally recovered during a police raid, in a miserable condition. Her kidnappers, including the three women were arrested, and she was reunited with her family. All the accused have been sent to jail on judicial remand.
The police confirm that L* was subjected to rape and torture during the confinement and that she is now four-months pregnant. Although L*’s mother was happy to see her daughter back, she was furious and perturbed about what had been done to her. She resolves to seek justice.
“My daughter has faced a lot of cruelty, that they [kidnappers] have inflicted upon her,” says L’s mother, her voice breaking. “My daughter was only a child, not powerful enough to bear such brutalities. I now seek only justice for her.”
