By Shaukhat Korai
The family rescued from a private jail in Balochistan’s Khetran area, claim that instead of probing the incident impartially, the Balochistan police have only added to their problems. Granaz and her two children were released from a private jail being run allegedly by provincial minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Kethran. Sardar Khetran has also been arrested once before in 2014 for running a private jail, from where seven people including women and children were freed.
The recent case came to light when three mutilated corpses of a woman and two young men were found inside a dry well in district Barkhan, triggering protests and highlighting the inhumanity of illegal jails.
The female dead body was initially speculated to be of Granaz, who was in her mid-40s but later the autopsy report suggested that the body belonged to an unknown young woman who was raped before being shot thrice.
As the national media took up the issue, the Levies forces raided Khetran’s propety and ultimately recovered Granaz and two chilldren – whose release was being demanded since some time by their father and Granaz’ husband Khan Muhammad Marri.
But Marri is not satisfied with the investigation.
He said that the police was not lodging the FIR according to the application nor have they recorded Granaz’s statement.
“Balochistan police have registered the FIR against unknown people,” says Marri. “We demand the lodging of the FIR based on our version. The Joint Investigation Team was also comprised of sell-outs. I along with my family was kept in the Cantonment for 10 to 12 days.”
Marri alleged that the police had taken their mobile phones so they could not contact anyone. He added that the Balochistan police had forced him to give a statement in favour of Sardar Abdul Rehman Kethran.
“There is no justice for us in the justice system of Pakistan or Balochistan,” he says.
The President of Marri Ittehad, Mehruddin Marri has made three requests to the authorities. The first is that a case should be registered according to statements by Granaz and her husband. The second demand is to record Granaz’ statement in the presence of the press and third, the case should be transferred to the court in Kohlu or Hub.
Why did it happen to Granaz’ Family?
Granaz’s family alleged that they remained in captivity for several years where they had been subjected to inhumane torture and rape. According to Khan Muhammad Marri, the family went through this ordeal because they were eyewitnesses to the murder of Miran Bibi and they refused to give a false statement in favour of Sardar Abdul Rehman Kethran.
Granaz’s 17-year-old daughter Farzana tells Voicepk that she had been in Sardar Kethran’s private jail since she was eight years old, but in the last four years, she was being raped by the Sardar and his sons.
Granaz, cannot speak Urdu and does not know many legal intricacies. She only remembers one thing and this she seems certain of. Holding up the photo of Sardar Khetran, she says, “This is the killer of my children.”
While Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran had been arrested in the case, he is currently out on bail.
