Pakistan PM orders judicial probe, suspends accused SP in Sonia Naz Case
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has ordered judicial inquiry into the reported abduction, torture and rape of Sonia Naz by Faisalabad police officers and suspended the accused Superintendent of Police Khalid Abdullah.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz talked with the Chief Minister of Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi on telephone and directed him for judicial inquiry of the Sonia Naz case and also ordered immediate suspension of the accused police officer Khalid Abdullah.

SHO Jaranwala, another accused of the case, was already suspended.

Orders by SC

Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has ordered the Chief Secretary of Punjab and I.G. Punjab to provide complete details of the Sonia Naz incident within ten days.

Faisalabad’s Sonia Naz was reportedly abducted and raped by the police officials.

The Supreme Court issued orders on a plea by Advocate Zulfiqar Ali Bhutta requesting suomoto action by the apex court on the incident.

In-depth

An earlier report said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the reported abduction, torture and rape of Sonia Naz by Faisalabad police officers but the opposition parties rejected his decision.

The opposition parties were of the view that without suspension of prime accused, SP Investigation Khalid Abdullah Warraich, investigation would be a mere lip service and a bid to cover up the crime allegedly committed by custodians of law.

The issue was raised in the National Assembly by legislators belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal with MNAs belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz joining the protest after the MPs belonging to the MMA had crated a stir in the House in presence of the prime minister.

The opposition parties termed the rape of Sonia at the hands of custodians of law in Faisalabad as shameful for the whole country, particularly for parliamentarians, who had sent the traumatized woman to Adiala Jail instead of giving her justice.

Mehnaz Rafi made a shocking speech in the National Assembly after she came under fire from Hafiz Hussain Ahmed for getting Sonia arrested in April by pointing out her presence in the House instead of asking the lady to get out after erroneously entering the hall.

She stood up to shout at the opposition MPs and said being a member of the House she had done the right thing to get the intruder arrested at the hands of police, as the parliament was a sacred place and everyone could not be allowed to sit with the MNAs.

Mehnaz disclosed that at one stage she had received a letter from the father-in-law of Sonia narrating the highhandedness of SP Abdullah with his family. She claimed that she had invited him to meet her and that she would try to do whatever was possible for her.

Amid slogans of "shame, shame" by opposition legislators, leader of the opposition Maulana Fazlur Rehman lashed out at the government for allowing Khalid Abdullah to work in his present position and threatened to lead a walk out after the prime minister turned down the opposition’s demand to suspend the accused officer.

However, the prime minister and Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao refused to suspend the accused police officer. In the meantime, the opposition legislators continued shouting slogans contending that unless the SP was removed from his present post, an impartial inquiry could not be held.

Earlier, the National Assembly witnessed uproar when Hafiz Hussain Ahmed stood up on a point of order to blast the government on issue of Sonia’s alleged rape by Khalid Abdullah and SHO Jamshed Chishti.

He waved copies of an English newspaper and directly held Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain responsible for Sonia’s rape at the hands of police officers.

"Mr speaker, today she has met a sorry end because of your decision to send her to Adiala Jail," he said and regretted that the MPs were busy in discussing the issue of rigging in the local polls but nobody bothered about the sorry fate of a mother of two kids.

"Mr speaker, a woman has been raped after you sent her to jail," shouted Hafiz Hussain, who also lashed out at Mehnaz. The speaker tried to explain his position with regard to responsibility in running the House but admitted that Sonia’s rape was most a "unfortunate incident." He however, defended his act in sending her to jail, saying it had nothing to do with her rape by Faisalabad police after she was bailed out.

AT this juncture, Mehnaz stood up to defend herself and repeatedly said she had done the right thing. The opposition asked the prime minister to announce some action against the accused police officer. The prime minister said in his speech that he had already read the story in The News and had directed the concerned agencies to submit him a report about the incident.

However, he did not let the House know which agencies were directed to submit the report and how these agencies could submit a report unless the victim was given a chance to record her statement and give evidence to prove the charges levelled by her.

Sherpao said the prime minister had directed him to seek a report from the concerned authorities on the issue. He said the government could take action against the accused if it was proved that they were involved in the rape of the woman.

However, the opposition rejected the prime minister’s stance of seeking a report and termed it mere an eyewash and lip service in a bid to hush up the issue. Meanwhile, it was revealed in the National Assembly that Khalid Abdullah Warraich had been under suspension from the Police Service of Pakistan for seven years on charges of corruption and misconduct.

The House was also told that the officer having links within the Punjab government managed not only to get reinstated but was also promoted from the rank of DSP to SP investigation. In his speech, PML [N] MNA from Faisalabad Raja Nadir Pervez claimed Khalid Abdullah was an infamous police officer and remained suspended for seven years.

He said Khalid Abdullah had done many things in Faisalabad district after assuming charge as the SP investigation. He said the story of the alleged rape of Sonia was another aspect of his barbarian acts.

Raja Nadir Pervez asked the prime minister to observe a "zero tolerance" on the issue of rape and tell the people that he meant business while dealing with such heinous crimes.

"Mr PM, this is a test case for you to establish your credibility and credentials in the eyes of people of Pakistan. Please, give justice to this woman," he said in an impassioned appeal to the prime minister.

The MNA from Faisalabad said police stations had become a source of torture and injustice for the poor. He said nobody was getting justice from police stations, as the custodians of law were committing barbarian acts in the name of justice.

Sonia's Viewpoint

At the same time, Sonia Naz, alleged victim of a rape by Faisalabad police on Tuesday called for a judicial probe into the incident, fearing she would not be safe otherwise to give evidence.

Sonia said she and her kids live in mortal fear after the publication of a report about police excesses followed by severe reaction in parliament. "Publication of my sorry ordeal has made me more vulnerable rather than making me strong as I expected," a terrified Sonia said.

Giving her reaction to the publication of her story in by an English newspaper of Pakistan on Tuesday, she said the prime minister’s decision to seek a report from state-owned agencies would make no difference.

She said she had proofs of police abuses against her. The agencies may not prove her charges of rape against SP Abdullah, she said.

Sonia said the prime minister had sought a report from state agencies instead of constituting a high-powered judicial body after removing SP Abdullah so that she could present evidence against the rapists.

"I am ready to give undeniable evidence to prove my charges if I am given protection as those against whom I have spoken would try to eliminate me before I appear before any inquiry," Sonia feared.

She said she was being hounded by SP Khalid Abdullah. She said her telephones were being bugged since she was released from the "illegal" custody of the SP. When told that the SP had said on GEO TV, a private channel of Pakistan that she was free to move and live, Sonia said this was a big lie as SP Abdullah only wanted to capture her to silence her voice forever.

"If I was free to move and the SP had nothing to do with me then why the same SP was telling GEO TV that he was bugging at least 60 telephones and he had even traced me in Landhi, Karachi. Why did the SP feel the need to follow me in Karachi if I was free to move and had nothing to do with him?" she said.

She said the uproar in parliament had given her some consolation. However, she said that had the parliament and its members given her justice when she was arrested from the National Assembly, she might not have faced this tragedy.

Sonia said the parliament had sent her to jail, which emboldened SP Abdullah, who took it as a sign of approval from the elected members to do with her whatever he liked.

"My arrest on the orders of the NA speaker was a clear signal to the police that they were free to deal with the people on their own without any fear of accountability from anyone," she said.

She was thankful to the members of the opposition parties who agitated against police abuses in the Parliament House. She said she would appear only after asked by some court of inquiry to present evidence and was granted due protection.●