Pakistan - Case closed: Girl drops gang rape charges against #PMLN's parliamentarian’s sons

By Shamsul Islam

A case against three sons of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Mian Farooq and five others who allegedly gang raped a girl, Naz*, has been dropped. Naz stated on Saturday that she is “not interested in the prosecution of the accused.” According to SP Madina Town Nasir Sial, Naz submitted an affidavit before the investigation officer dropping the charges against Mian Muazzam Farooq, Mian Saad Farooq, Mian Qasim Farooq and five others.

The girl said she is unwilling to give a blood sample for a DNA test and stated in the affidavit that there is no need to carry out DNA tests on the accused. The police have therefore dropped the case. MNA Mian Muhammad Farooq said Naz had ‘concocted the rape incident’ and accused her of blackmail. On Saturday he said, “My sons are innocent and this has been proven as the complainant herself backtracked on her allegations.”

Sources, however, said Naz was forced to withdraw her complaint as she belongs to a poor family.

When registering the case on Friday, Naz said she could identify three of the accused, but could not name their five alleged accomplices. SHO Madina Town police station Farukh Waheed told The Express Tribune that medical examinations revealed the girl had been gang raped. “A DNA test will establish whether or not the alleged persons have committed the crime,” he added.

City Police Officer (CPO) Faisalabad Sohail Tajik formed a committee under the supervision of SP Madina Town Nasir Sial to probe the incident. Naz alleged that Mian Muazzam Farooq and his two brothers Mian Saad Farooq and Mian Qasim Farooq took her from Abdullah Chowk at gunpoint and drove her to a house in Raza Garden, Canal Road, where five armed persons were present.

She said the men locked her in a room and forced her to drink alcohol before raping her at gunpoint. She claimed a video was made of the incident. A case was registered under PPC 376. *Name of the victim has been changed to protect her identity