Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘I am sorry’: Lahore CCPO apologises after blaming mother of three for gang-rape

    ‘I am sorry’: Lahore CCPO apologises after blaming mother of three for gang-rape

    Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh on Monday apologised over his controversial statement regarding the motorway rape incident.

    “I apologise to the victim and all others who were hurt by my remarks. I had no intention of giving any wrong impression,” he said.

    The Lahore CCPO had earlier remarked that the rape victim should have been more careful and taken a safer route.

    “I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he had said while speaking to Dunya News.

    Sheikh went had further said that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    At least one of the two culprits has been identified.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Identity of motorway gang-rape suspect revealed

    EXCLUSIVE: Identity of motorway gang-rape suspect revealed

    With authorities’ failure to protect the mother of three, who was gang-raped on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway on Tuesday night, drawing a strong reaction from the masses, the police have revealed the identity of one of the suspects behind the gruesome incident that shook the nation.

    As per the details, the individual, namely Abid Ali and a resident of Haroonabad town of Punjab’s Bahawalnagar district, is a proclaimed offender and has been nominated in multiple cases earlier as well.

    While accomplice of the 27-year-old is still unidentified and both the suspects are at large, it has been announced that Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat will shortly address a press conference to share further details.

    Reports, however, have cited sources as saying that the name of Abid’s accomplice is Waqar.

    IDENTIFICATION:

    Earlier in the day, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) had announced that one of the culprits had been identified following DNA testing and will soon be apprehended.

    Taking to Twitter to share the news, Dr Gill had congratulated Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh and the entire team.

    “DNA matched. The arrests will also soon be made. The people should know that Usman Buzdar, the IGP and the [Lahore] CCPO were in a meeting until 4 am. The CM himself has monitored the entire case,” he had tweeted.

    The tweet had followed a vaguely-worded tweet wherein Dr Gill said thanked Allah for his help and for listening to the prayers of the people.

    LAHORE-SIALKOT MOTORWAY RAPE CASE:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

  • DNA matched in motorway gang-rape case; arrests to follow

    DNA matched in motorway gang-rape case; arrests to follow

    Hours after rejecting a private media outlet’s claims that the prime suspect of the motorway gang-rape case had been arrested, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Saturday announced that one of the culprits had been identified following DNA testing and will soon be apprehended.

    Taking to Twitter to share the news, Dr Gill congratulated Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh and the entire team.

    “DNA matched. The arrest will also soon be made. The people should know that Usman Buzdar, the IGP and the [Lahore] CCPO were in a meeting until 4 am. The CM himself has monitored the entire case,” he tweeted.

    “Actions speak louder than words,” Dr Gill added.

    Earlier in the day, Dr Gill, in a vaguely-worded tweet, had said thanked Allah for his help and for listening to the prayers of the people.

    LAHORE-SIALKOT MOTORWAY RAPE CASE:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

  • ARY says prime suspect of motorway gang-rape case arrested; govt says that’s not true

    ARY says prime suspect of motorway gang-rape case arrested; govt says that’s not true

    Punjab police have arrested the prime suspect of the motorway gang-rape case, ARY has reported citing sources; but the claim has been dismissed by the senior-most police officer of Punjab as well as Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide Dr Shahbaz Gill.

    According to reports, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani has dismissed reports that a suspect in the Lahore motorway rape case had been arrested, terming them as incorrect. 

    “News on the arrest of a suspect on TV channels and social media are incorrect,” said IGP Ghani, adding that he would share any development in the case with media as he was monitoring the investigation himself.

    “Such unconfirmed news affects the case and is also misleading for the public,” said the top cop.

    He also said that pictures of the woman and the suspects being shared on social media were fake, and urged media to not run reports before confirming them. “We will soon arrest the accused and bring them to justice,” Ghani vowed.

    Earlier, ARY cited Punjab government sources as saying that search for the second suspect involved in the gang-rape was underway.

    The claim was, however, also dismissed by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill, who said it was incorrect but the police were working hard.

    The tweet was followed by ARY Senior Executive Vice President Ammad Yousaf’s statement that the media organisation stood by its story.

    It wasn’t later that Dr Gill tweeted back.

    What do you think is going on? Let The Current know in the comments below

  • Over a dozen Pakistani Hindus, who went to India for a better future, return with shattered dreams

    Over a dozen Pakistani Hindus, who went to India for a better future, return with shattered dreams

    At least 14 members of the country’s Hindu minority community returned from India after six months, saying their dreams of better economic prospects in the neighboring country had been shattered, Anadolu Agency reported.

    Speaking to reporters at the Wagah border crossing, Kanhaya Lal and Nanak Ram, the heads of the families, said they went to India hoping for better economic prospects, but it was a “farce” and they suffered great hardships.

    India recently passed a contentious law allowing Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to apply for fast-track citizenship.

    Last month, a family of 11 Hindus, migrated from Pakistan, was found dead in a rented farmhouse in the city of Jodhpur in India’s Rajasthan state.

    The daughter of one Budha Ram, who was among those killed, had registered a case with Shahdadpur police station, accusing India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for the crime. The first information report (FIR) revealed Ram had decided to return to Pakistan to expose spy traps offered by the Indian spy agency.

    “I knew that family, and most of them were educated. But there are no opportunities for any outsiders in India,” Lal told Anadolu Agency.

    “The fact is they were living in miserable conditions and suffered from extreme poverty and there were dangerous threats to their lives,” Lal said.

    He said more than 28,000 Pakistan Hindus are stranded in Jodhpur waiting to return home.

  • Imran, a strong opposer of dual national public office holders, rejects criticism against his dual national teammates

    Imran, a strong opposer of dual national public office holders, rejects criticism against his dual national teammates

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who had until a few years earlier been strongly against dual nationals holding public offices, has now rejected criticism against his own team members holding dual nationalities, which has led to people calling it “another U-turn”.

    “I don’t know why people say that dual nationals cannot get any public office and cannot become a minister and why they [people] move courts every other day,” Dawn quoted Imran as saying while launching the Roshan Pakistan Digital Account (RPDA).

    RPDA will provide innovative banking solutions to millions of non-resident Pakistanis seeking to undertake fund transfers, bill payments and investment activities in Pakistan.

    Expressing displeasure over criticism of dual nationals holding public office, the premier stressed the need for tapping what he called “resource pool” of Pakistani experts and professionals living abroad for uplifting of the country.

    “We do not have a bigger asset than that [overseas Pakistanis]. The best minds, professionals and entrepreneurs are outside the country. When we will create [conducive] conditions in the country, this big resource pool can return to the country,” he said, adding that when he established Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, it created an opportunity for overseas Pakistani experts and they returned to run the hospital.

    His statements, however, were not very well received by Twitterati, who pointed out that Imran, back in opposition days, himself was strictly against the practice of handing public offices to dual nationals.

    Here’s what they had to say:

    https://twitter.com/mughalbha/status/1304346326780518400

    The premier and members of his cabinet holding dual nationality recently came under severe criticism when the assets and status of dual nationality of all non-elected cabinet members — special assistants to the prime minister (SAPM) and advisers — were made public.

    SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus resigned from her post due to the criticism levelled against her and the government because of her dual citizenship. In a tweet, Aidrus, who also holds Canadian nationality, had said, “Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan.”

    What do you think of the netizens’ reaction? Let The Current know in the comments below.

  • ‘I was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight’: Khadija Siddiqi shuts up Lahore CCPO

    ‘I was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight’: Khadija Siddiqi shuts up Lahore CCPO

    Barrister Khadija Siddiqi, who was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight in Lahore, has reminded Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh of what happened in her case, shutting him up for his statement blaming the motorway gang-rape survivor for travelling alone with her three kids past midnight.

    “I was stabbed 23 times in broad daylight! Don’t tell us that ‘time’ is directly connected to the commission of offense!” she tweeted while also asking as to under what authority could the CCPO set “time limits” on women’s travel.

    The officer, who is also supposed to be leading the investigation of the motorway rape case, is being criticised for using language that tantamounts to victim-blaming.

    “I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” CCPO Sheikh had said while speaking to Dunya News.

    He went on to say that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

  • ‘Shoot me dead and don’t tell anyone,’ motorway gang-rape survivor quoted as telling first responders

    ‘Shoot me dead and don’t tell anyone,’ motorway gang-rape survivor quoted as telling first responders

    The survivor of the motorway gang-rape has been quoted by a journalist as asking the first responders to shoot her dead and do not tell anyone about what had happened.

    “A journalist friend was told by an investigating official that when the police reached the crime scene of #MotorwayRape the survivor started begging the cops to shoot her dead and not tell anyone about the incident,” journalist Ailia Zehra tweeted.

    “Can’t even begin to imagine what she must be going through,” she added.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    LEAs EXPOSED:

    Separately, the delayed response to emergency calls made by the motorway rape victim have also exposed the level of coordination among the law enforcement agencies despite the government spending billions of rupees on the Safe City Project, The News reported Friday.

    An initial investigation into the incident and contradictory statements of senior officers confirmed that there was a lack of coordination between the Lahore Police and Motorway Police that resulted in a delayed response providing criminals enough time to flee after committing the crime.

    On the second day of the incident, Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh said the victim had not called the police herself for help. Some of her relatives called the Motorway Police at 1:30 am.

    On the other hand, Motorway Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kaleem Imam said that the victim called the Motorway Police at 2:01 am and was informed that the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway does not fall in their jurisdiction.

    However, the Motorway Police forwarded the call to the FWO immediately. The lady didn’t get any help from the FWO either.

    Later on, a claim of the Dolphin Force surfaced that they received 15 calls at 2:49 am and reached the spot at 2:53 am. A cop of Dolphin Force said as he reached the spot, the woman was “stunned”.

    “She didn’t speak. She mustered up the courage after some time and then told the whole tragedy.”

    However, the Gujjarpura police in its FIR stated that they reached the spot at 4 am and didn’t find anyone there.

    A senior police officer requesting anonymity told The News that factually the Lahore Police and the Motorway Police had delayed the response over jurisdiction.

    They said the Safe City Project was launched after spending billions of rupees for a well-coordinated response and surveillance but the recent incident has exposed it as well.

    They added that call logs should be made part of investigations and strict action should be taken against the responsible persons.

  • VIDEO: Police blame mother-of-three survivor for gang-rape, say ‘she should have taken GT Road’

    Lahore’s new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh, who was earlier this week blamed for the removal of Punjab’s fifth inspector general of police (IGP) in two years, has now made headlines for blaming a gang-rape victim for the incident.

    “I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he said while speaking to Dunya News.

    Sheikh went on to say that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.

    THE INCIDENT:

    On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had gang-raped a mother of three on the Motorway within Gujjarpura police’s jurisdiction.

    The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the Motorway after running out of fuel at around 1:30 am. She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 but she was reportedly refused help.

    In the meantime, two robbers approached the car, broke the window and took the woman and her children to nearby bushes where they raped her repeatedly in front of the children. They also snatched her purse that had cash around Rs100,000, one bracelet, car registration and three ATM cards. 

    The Gujjarpura police have registered a case, while motorway police spokesperson said they had not been able to take action as the incident did not occur in the limits of Motorway Police.

    PUBLIC REACTION:

    With the incident making headlines and medical reports confirming gang-rape, social media flooded with posts by the general public as well as political leaders in support of the survivor and against the authorities over their “continuous failure to protect the people”.

    Amid public outcry, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s aide on political communication, Dr Shahbaz Gill, said that on Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar’s directives, Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh will lead the investigation.

    “Urban and rural policing techniques are being used,” he said, adding that CCTV footage and DNA matching was being used in the probe.”

    Dr Gill further said that around 12 suspects have been arrested.

    ‘POLICE DOING GREAT WORK’:

    Earlier, newly-appointed IGP Inam Ghani claimed that police have secured “evidence” that will lead them to the culprits.

    “We have done great work so far in the motorway rape case. We have located the village from which the suspects were from,” the IGP revealed in a conversation with Geo News. 

    He also shared that 20 police teams were working on the case and being overseen by a deputy inspector-general (DIG).

    Ghani shared that the survivor had provided ages and other identifying features of the suspects. “Right now, we have a very good clue which will lead us to the suspects directly. However, we cannot share it with the media yet.”

    He also shared that police have obtained the complete voter list and record from the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) of the area where the suspects are believed to have hailed from. 

    IG Ghani said that the woman’s children, who were forced to witness the horrific crime, were now with their family, who have been assured that they will be provided all kinds of support. He hoped that the victims of the attack would be in a much better state when the suspects are arrested.

  • VIDEO: Pangong Lake of ‘3 Idiots’ fame now a part of China?

    VIDEO: Pangong Lake of ‘3 Idiots’ fame now a part of China?

    Amid the ongoing border standoff between Chinese and Indian soldiers in Ladakh, it is being speculated that the Pangong Tso area under Indian control, and of Bollywood flick ‘3 Idiots’ fame, has been taken over by China.

    As per the details, a video clip of Chinese tourists enjoying a boat ride purportedly at the Pangong Tso Lake, which among many others was also shared by Indian National Congress (INC) leader Salman Nizami, has gone viral.

    Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas. Situated at an elevation of 4,225 metres, it is 134 kilometres long and extends from Ladakh in India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China. Line of Actual Control (LAC) between China and India also passes through the Pangong Lake, effectively dividing it into two parts.

    India controls the 45 km-long western portions of the 135 km-long lake while the rest is under Chinese control. The picture-perfect lake is also the place where 3 Idiots’ ending with Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and co was shot.

    “Chinese tourists in Ladakh’s Pangong Lake. Can someone ask ’56 inch’ Chowkidar [offensive comment apparently against Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi] if Indians now need a visa to visit Pangong Lake?” Nizami tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/SalmanNizami_/status/1303254283207413765

    National convener of INC’s social media department, Saral Patel, also shared the video.

    It was retweeted by INC spokesperson Shama Mohamed with the comment, “Chinese tourists are apparently vacationing at Pangong Tso & PM [Narendra] Modi is still in agreement with China’s lie that there have been no incursions or annexation of Indian territory.”

    While there have been no official statements over the status of the lake from Beijing or New Delhi, it is likely that the videos being circulated have been shot on the Chinese side of the lake, which is reportedly open for tourists.

    Earlier, an advertisement video shared by some Twitter users had claimed that China will facilitate the return of international tourists to Pangong Tso.

    The 45-second footage on Twitter showed the scenic landscape of the Pangong Tso.

    The ad video, which has received several retweets, was uploaded by users who used both Mandarin and Chinese as the medium of communication. Although they appeared to be handles managed by Chinese nationals, it could not be confirmed as none of the accounts were verified by Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/evazhengll/status/1301555381810991111

    “You only need to take a Chinese visa to enjoy cold air, flocks of birds and blue water. We have also placed a monument on a place where movie 3 idiots was made. Come, visit and enjoy China,” one of the users tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/CNPakWW/status/1301557920472141828

    Even though the video appears to have been produced in China, it could not be ascertained whether the clip is new or old.

    However, Shen Shiwei, a Chinese journalist working for state-owned CGTN, tweeted that the lake was open for tourists for quite a long time.

    “Pangong Tso in China is open to tourists at home and abroad for quite a long time. The lake is near the Chinese national highway and is a good place for self-driving travel. We have a resort on the lake here,” he said.