Sonia is a 23 year old housewife. She is married to one Asim Yousuf of Faislabad in Punjab. The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Faislabad is one Khalid Abdullah.
Sonia wanted to expose the excesses of the SP on hr husband and other family members. As a result, the SP along with the Jaranwala Station House Officer Inspector Jamshed Iqbal Chishti allegedly kidnapped her in May 2005.
This is what Sonia alleged was done to her:-
"SP Khalid Abdullah beat and tried to rape her. Unable to rape, he urinated on her face while Inspector Jamshed Chishti raped her in the presence of SP Khalid Abdullah."
A Punjab Police inquiry committee was set up with provincial investigation department Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Zafar Qureshi, as chairman. In its report, the committee found Sonia's charges of rape as substantial. The inquiry report said, "As regards the allegation of rape, there are sufficient grounds for registration of an FIR and subsequent investigation."
However, the Punjab Government did not implement the recommendations of Zafar Qureshi inquiry committee.
On 17 October 2005, taking suo motu cognizance of news reports about the victim's sufferings at the hands of the accused police officials, a three-member bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the immediate arrest of SP Khalid Abdullah, Inspector Jamshed Chishti and eight other policemen on charges of abduction, torture and rape of Sonia Naz.
On 24 November 2005, both prime accused-SP Khalid Abdullah and Inspector Jamshed Chisti were granted bail.
According to Sonia, since their release, there have been efforts to kill her. But the Punjab Inspector General of Police, Major Ziaul Hassan had refused to provide security to Sonia. Subsequently, Sonia's two-year-old son and a 10-month-old daughter were reportedly kidnapped on the evening of 22 January 2006. Thank God her kids were recovered from the kidnappers unharmed.
The case is still pending.
Post script:-
It is extremely difficult - and even dangerous - for rape victims in Pakistan to seek justice. This is due to the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance of 1979 which provides inter alia as follows:-
1. A rape victim is required to produce at least four adult male Muslim eyewitnesses, who have physically seen the act of rape against the victim in order to prove her case.
2. The Court must be satisfied that the witnesses are truthful persons and abstain from major sins (kabair).
3. The rape victim can be held guilty if she fails to prove the accusation.
4. The Ordinance also considers sexual intercourse as adultery whether it is with or without the consent of a woman, who is not married with the man. Therefore, if a woman complains that she has been raped, her statement pertaining to sexual intercourse can be treated as her confession to adultery and thus could be charged with the offence of Zina!!!
According to the National Commission on the Status of Women, 80% of the women prisoners in the jails were victims of the Ordinance that relates to adultery, rape, kidnapping and abduction.
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