Tuesday, January 16, 2018

For months, a father of sexually abused girls has been seeking justice. Will the govt act?


Khurram Shehzad Masih, a resident of Haji Pura area in district Sialkot and father of three sexually abused minor girls, has been staying on a footpath outside Lahore Press Club along with his daughters for 3 months after spending 4 months on roads in Islamabad seeking justice from the authorities.

Talking to Daily Times, Masih said that his three daughters (names have been removed to protect identity of the victims), were subjected to sexual assault by family relatives while he was away working in a factory.
He further stated that in April 2017, an FIR was lodged against the accused leading to their arrest, but they were later set free by the police authorities. Masih also accused his relatives of kidnapping one of his daughters as means to blackmail him to prevent him from pursuing justice.
In an appeal to Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, Masih requested that his case be given same importance as the recent incident in Kasur where 8-year-old Zainab was raped, murdered and left in a dumpster. Those accused include Masih’s brother, cousin and brother’s son.
He also revealed that the police officials have been forcing him to withdraw the cases, but he said he would continue his silent protest until justice is served.
Masih has protested outside Islamabad Press Club for four months before coming to Lahore, but to no avail.

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