Taliban flog 17-year-old girl for having ‘affair’: Govt orders probe into Swat whipping

* President, PM seek report, call for arrest of perpetrators
* Taliban spokesman says girl would have been stoned to death if a ‘serious view’ of her ‘crime’ was taken
* Govt says girl whipped in January, Taliban say 9 months ago, HR activist says in last 10 days
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the flogging of a 17-year-old girl in public in Swat – where the government recently signed a peace deal with the Taliban – and ordered an inquiry into the matter. The incident has put the controversial Swat peace deal into jeopardy, with TV footage showing the Taliban mercilessly beating the girl – sparking outrage in Pakistan and abroad. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Zardari had sought a report from the NWFP provincial government and the local administration and called for arresting those responsible. He said the president had been shocked by the act of barbarism that had brought down heads in shame. “Such barbarism is unpardonable.” Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also took serious notice of the incident, and sought a report. In shocking images, the two-minute video – apparently made using a mobile phone camera – shows the girl, wearing a veil, face down on the ground with two men holding her arms and feet. A third man in a black turban with a long beard whips her backside repeatedly for having ‘illicit relations with her father-in-law’ – causing her to scream: “Either stop it or kill me.” A crowd of men can be seen watching as one of the Taliban shouts, “Hold her tightly.” The Daily Mail reported the girl’s brother was also involved in the flogging. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan acknowledged that his group was responsible for the flogging in public, “because no indoor arrangement for Islamic punishment could be made, as we are at war with the government”. NWFP government spokesman Mian Iftikhar said the flogging took place on January 3, much before the peace deal with the Taliban. “We believe there is a conspiracy to sabotage the peace process by airing a video recorded before the deal,” he said. Muslim Khan, however, said, “This incident took place nine months ago.” Top Peshawar-based cleric Maulana Yousaf Qureshi opposed what had happened, telling Daily Times, “The state gives Islamic punishment ... flogging a girl in public is just highhandedness.” Serious view: Muslim Khan said the Taliban had handed out a ‘lenient’ punishment to the girl – suggesting she would have been stoned to death had a ‘serious view’ of the ‘crime’ been taken. Samar Minallah – who works for a Pakistani human rights organisation – distributed the video given to her by people in Swat to the Western media. “The entire village knows she is innocent,” Samar told AFP. She told The Guardian that the flogging had taken place in the last 10 days.
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Sherry submits motion
ISLAMABAD: Condemning the flogging of a young girl by the Taliban in Swat, former information minister Sherry Rehman has submitted an adjournment motion seeking debate in the National Assembly. “What is happening in Swat amounts to a blatant abuse of the rights of our people by non-state actors. The state cannot and must not remain silent at this heinous act of brutal violence against women,” she stated in the motion, urging the government to immediately take note of the issue and devise an urgent response to counter the heinous rights’ violation taking place in Swat. She also expressed her concern over the Taliban’s hold on the northern areas of the country, saying it was a cause of concern for the entire nation. Sherry said the government could not allow the Taliban to circulate video footage of the ‘punishment’ to instil fear in the local population, adding that the citizens should not be left at the mercy of elements who are murdering and maiming people in the name of Islam.