Pakistan: Demand action after incident of sexual violence at the Islamic Learning Department of Karachi University
Human Rights advocates are shocked over the attempted rape of a female law student by staff of the Islamic Learning Department of Karachi University on 28 July 2006. They urge you to write to the Pakistani authorities to demand action for the arrest of the perpetrators and the filing of a criminal case.
The perpetrators include a senior computer operator, two other employees at the Islamic Learning Department and a student of Department of Physics. Even though the perpetrators were brought before Vice Chancellor Dr. Pirzada Qasim, he suspended them a few days later only after the incident was widely publicized in the newspapers, and also allegedly prevented the victim from lodging a complaint to the police station.
Meanwhile, no serious disciplinary and legal action has been taken against the perpetrators due to the alleged influence from the Pakistan Rangers stationing within the university premises.
More than a month has passed and the authorities of the University have still not reported the case to the police.
A fact finding team led by an NGO has also discovered that the two main perpetrators, had been caught once before for a similar incident at the Shiekh Ziad Islamic University, which is located within the premises of the Karachi University. However, under the alleged influence of the Pakistan Rangers, they were later transferred to the Islamic Learning Department of the Karachi University after receiving disciplinary action.
Although the four alleged perpetrators have reportedly confessed to their crime in written statements before the inquiry committee formulated by the Karachi University to investigate the case but no serious action has been taken against them.
Meanwhile, no serious disciplinary and legal action has been taken against the perpetrators due to the alleged influence from the Pakistan Rangers stationing within the university premises.
More than a month has passed and the authorities of the University have still not reported the case to the police.
A fact finding team led by an NGO has also discovered that the two main perpetrators, had been caught once before for a similar incident at the Shiekh Ziad Islamic University, which is located within the premises of the Karachi University. However, under the alleged influence of the Pakistan Rangers, they were later transferred to the Islamic Learning Department of the Karachi University after receiving disciplinary action.
Although the four alleged perpetrators have reportedly confessed to their crime in written statements before the inquiry committee formulated by the Karachi University to investigate the case but no serious action has been taken against them.
Source:
Shirkat Gah
