There are fears of further delay in 10-year-old Fatima’s case as police officers working on the child’s mysterious death have been reappointed.
Currently, the new SSP Khairpur, Samiullah Soomro, has taken charge of his post.
Pir Asad Shah, the main suspect, and compounder Imtiaz Merasi, are on physical remand while accused Hina Shah and her father could not be arrested.
Police say that Asad Shah’s recovered DNA samples have been sent to Lahore, adding that it will take more time to receive relevant reports.
According to police sources, the final post-mortem report of the girl has not been received yet.
Fatima’s case
A domestic maid, 10-year-old child Fatima Phuriro was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur city, District Khairpur.
The child had been working as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.
Fatima’s mother, Shabana, was informed about the death by the employer who asked her to remove the body from the premises where two of Fatima’s sisters are also employed.
According to DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani, the parents initially did not share the facts of the case with the police and claimed that the girl was suffering from gastroenteritis. While her diagnosis was also confirmed by Dr Abdul Fatah Memon who treated her, the DIG revealed that Fatima was taken to the hospital either by the Pir or his staff and that the SHO was present at the time she was pronounced dead.
It was not until videos of torture were leaked by an unknown source and circulated in social media that the case caught media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.
The body was later exhumed and sent for an autopsy which revealed that the child had been raped both vaginally and anally.
A video has come to light in which Sara Sharif’s stepmother, Beinash Batool along with her husband, Urfan Shairf, can be seen together in an undisclosed location. Batool touches upon media reporting of Sara’s death, claiming that they both will cooperate with UK authorities, and that they are on the run out of fear of Pakistani police.
While Urfan Sharif remains silent, Batool reads from a notebook. Speaking briefly of Sara, she says, “Firstly, I would like to talk about Sara. Sara’s death was an accident. Our family in Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on,”
Accusing the media of making up lies, Beinish says, “Imran [one of Mr Sharif’s brothers] did not give the statement that Sara fell down the stairs and broke her neck. This was spread through a Pakistani media outlet. I am very worried about Imran’s safety.”
She further claimed that they have run out of food, are unable to leave home because of security concerns, and the children are unable to attend school out of fear.
Furthermore, she explains that they are in hiding because the family fears that the Pakistan police will torture and kill them.
The stepmother of Sara Sharif, the 10-year-old girl found dead at her home last month, has spoken for the first time in a video shared with Sky News and said the family is willing to co-operate with British authorities and "fight our case in court".https://t.co/YPD7bdpwqWpic.twitter.com/CAR1TKGl25
BBC, however, reports that according to police chief Mehmood Bajwa, the allegations of “harassment and torture of family members are false”.
Urfan Sharif’s father had petitioned the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court against the harassment of his family members. While the court barred the police from detaining them again, the officers said questioning will continue.
The Case On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.
Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.
On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.
The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.
On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.
A few days later, the Pakistani police arrested Sharif’s brother Imran and also spoke with some of the family members.
Sharif’s parents and a number of other relatives are also missing, with the family home and shop in Jhelum locked up and empty. While everyone insisted on not knowing the family’s whereabouts, the police remains unconvinced by their claims.
“We managed to get hold of Imran, but the rest of his family have gone missing. They clearly have something to hide. We got hold of one of them and will be interrogating him until he tells us the truth.”
As reported by Arab News, Imran did confirm to MailOnline that his brother had been in Pakistan on August 9 however, he was alone. He added that he disappeared right after.
BBC also spoke with Urfan Sharif’s father, Muhammad Sharif. According to him, “It was an accident, he didn’t tell me how it happened,” and that the family fled the UK out of fear.
He, however, urged his son to return to the UK and defend himself.
Sara’s mother Sara Sharif’s mother Olga said in an interview to a Polish channel that Sara was so severely injured that she “did not recognise her” in the mortuary.
“One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised. Even now, when I close my eyes I can see what my baby looked like,” Olga said.
As per the post-mortem examination by Surrey Police, Sara “suffered multiple and extensive injuries”, that seemingly were “caused over a sustained and extended period of time”.
The mother of Sara Sharif, Olga Sharif, spoke of the harrowing experience of going to view her daughter's body.
Olga also revealed that she herself was subjected to mistreatment while she was married to Urfan Sharif. When she separated from him in 2015, Sara and her older brother lived with her until 2019, when the family court ordered for them to live with their father while giving equal rights to Olga.
Olga states that the children’s stepmother told her off.
“It’s not normal that once the children were happy, and arguing about who would talk to Mum first, and then the kids don’t even want to talk to me on the phone and are calling me the worst names,” she said.
A District and Sessions Court in Islamabad has accepted the bail plea of the accused, Somia Asim, the wife of the judge suspected of beating her minor house maid, Rizwana.
A hearing was held on the bail application of the Somia Asim in the Rizwana torture case where the court accepted Somia Asim’s bail application against a surety of one lac rupees.
Rizwana’s family was also present in the court at the time.
Somia Asim, wife of Civil Judge Asim Hafeez, had allegedly beaten up and tortured a minor house help at home.
An Indian man reportedly masturbated and ejaculated on a minor girl travelling in the Delhi Metro train, NDTV has reported. According to officials, he has been handed over to the police.
The incident took place on Wednesday around 8:30 pm on the Red Line of the Delhi Metro. The officials told Press Trust of India that at the time, the train was crowded because of Rakshabandhan festivities.
The mother of the minor girl saw that the man had ejaculated on her daughter and immediately got down at the Seelampur metro station.
The man was from West Bengal. Two passengers who witnessed the incident held him down and took him to Delhi Metro authorities at the Shahdara station, reported Press Trust of India.
The station authorities later informed the police.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said in a statement that such incidents are “extremely unsavoury and against the dignity of passengers and all societal norms”.
“In this particular case, we appreciate the response of the fellow passengers who brought it to the attention of the DMRC staff. Taking prompt action, the DMRC personnel handed over the accused to the police and an FIR has been registered for further necessary action.
“We would yet again request our commuters to behave responsibly while travelling by the Metro and help in creating a congenial travelling environment where all passengers irrespective of age or gender can travel safely and comfortably,” it said.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) also issued a notice to the deputy commissioner of police (Metro), urging for action to be taken by September 5.
The panel has also sought details of the arrested culprit and steps taken to prevent such incidents in future, reports NDTV.
A Rawalpindi court has granted bail to a husband and wife on Thursday, both of whom were charged with torturing their minor housemaid. The father of the eight-year-old told the judge that the case was filed over a “misunderstanding.”
The couple, Bakhtawar and Alisher, were arrested after the child maid escaped their house and informed her family about the beating. According to The Express Tribune, the case registered by police included sections pertaining to cruelty to children and uprooting hair, attempted murder, illegal confinement and trafficking not included.
However, on Thursday, when the accused appeared before Judge Meharun Nisa, a document of a ‘compromise’ between the two parties was also presented. It contained the thumb impression of the complainant, a labourer from Rahim Yar Khan.
Additionally, the investigation officer (IO) presented a statement of the girl’s father who no longer wants to pursue the case.
The Express Tribune reports that the girl and her father appeared in the court teary-eyed. The girl’s head was covered in a dupatta.
The court concluded the case with the release of the couple against surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each.
Victim under pressure
Initially, before the arrest, the girl’s family admitted that she had been repeatedly tortured. Her medical reports also revealed bruises, dislocations and fractures.
The couple allegedly even tried killing her by placing a polythene bag on the girl’s face.
However, the family back tracking within the span of 24 hours of the couple’s arrest indicates pressure from the accused as well as the family.
The Express Tribune highlights that according to sources within the police department, the accused bribed the Investigation Officer who then deemed the argument as weak. Additionally, the IO pressured the complainant ‘in a sweet way’ while also threatening him with arrest for letting his under-age daughter work.
He also urged for an out-of-court settlement.
He stated in the court that the case was based on a misunderstanding, and that the family no longer wanted to pursue the case.
According to people present in the courtroom, as reported by The Express Tribune, the father clutched his daughter’s hand throughout the proceedings. “Now I am going back to Rahim Yar Khan with my daughter and we are never coming back,” he told The Express Tribune.
The accused and the investigating officer, reportedly, came out of the court smiling.
Four suspects in the 10-year-old Fatima case have been rearrested after a short release on Sunday.
The suspects included SHO Ameer Chang; two doctors Dr. Fateh Memon and Dr. Ali Hasan Wasan and hospital worker Imtiaz Meerasi.
According to Investigation Officer, Qazi Bachal, they were released on evidence of their innocence. However, they are still under investigation.
The four were accused of concealing facts, concealing crime and neglect of duties.
Samaa news reports that no suspect was produced in court and that they were free without any investigation allegedly due to political pressure.
Additionally, on Saturday, Judicial Magistrate Khairpur extended the physical remand of Pir Asad Shah, the main suspect in the Fatima murder case, by three days.
Previously
Pir Asad Shah, the main suspect in the Fatima murder case at Ranipur Haveli in Khairpur, was being facilitated by a local SHO of police to remain in contact with his mureeds [followers], geo.tv has reported.
Earlier, DIG Sukkur Javed Jaskani had said in a conversation with Geo News that the police will not accommodate any pressure in the case.
The seven days long bail period of Hina Shah, another suspect in the case, has also ended.
Pir Asad Shah is the main suspect in the killing of 10-year-old Fatima who was found dead at the Haveli. The child, who was working as a domestic servant at the Haveli, was hastily buried. However, subsequent exhumation and autopsy revealed that Fatima had multiple injuries over her body, and had been raped vaginally and anally.
More cases linked to Ranipur Haveli
Recently, National Commission for Human Rights tweeted that four children, along with their mothers, have been rescued from Ranipur Haveli in Khairpur, where they had been working.
However, more troubling details emerged from the Haveli where 10-year-old Fatima was previously found dead.
A 20-year-old girl named Sana has reportedly gone missing from the Haveli.
She was a resident of Meena village in Qamber. According to Geo, Sana’s father Deedar Gurhmani said that he sent his daughter to the haveli of Pir of Ranipur Syed Sohail Ahmed Shah, one and a half years ago, “for trust and protection until his problems were resolved”.
It was about a month ago that Shah called him to tell that Sana had disappeared. When Gurhmani tried to get more details, Sohail told him off.
While the family still does not know about her whereabouts, the parents claim that the police have still not lodged a complaint regarding the girl’s disappearance despite their insistence.
They also appealed to higher authorities to help find their daughter.
Sindh caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retired) Maqbool Baqar has taken notice of the incident and has directed the Sukkur divisional commissioner and DIG to ensure the safe recovery of the missing girl.
Previously, Fatima’s mother stated that her daughter had been burned with hot iron, had her hair pulled out, and was also sexually assaulted.
As reported by Samaa news, Fatima’s mother has claimed that hundreds of teenage girls are held as maids by the Pir’s family. These girls are the daughters of mureeds, each of whom is supposed to send one girl to ‘serve’ the Pir. They are kept as domestic workers and can meet with their families only if the mureed allows it.
According to a representative of Khairpur Civil Society (KCS), “There are mureeds who willingly entrust their children to Pirs as they view it as an honour,” while others are financially unstable and give their children at the Pir’s service so that they have shelter and food.
The representative, however, says that not all Pirs are like this, “there are good and bad people everywhere”.
However, social activist and a member at Sindh Human Rights Commission, Dr. Aisha Hassan Dharejo, tweeted the account of two more girls working at the haveli. They, too, have been subjected to torture and sexual abuse.
SP Mir Rohal Khoso responded to the tweets saying that their statements have been recorded “so that the element of torture in this particular case may be evident and the case be stronger, to ensure conviction”.
یہ دوں لڑکیاں بھی اُسی حویلی کے وکٹم ہیں جہاں سے فاطمہ کا لاش گھر پہنچا تھا ان کے ظلم کے داستاں سُنیں ،یہ حویلیاں جہاں بچوں سے جبری کام لیا جاتا ہے جہاں پر عورتوں اور بچیوں کو جنسی طور پر حراساں کیا جاتا ہیں جہاں پر بچیوں کو تشدد کا نشانا بنایا جاتا ہے @khalidkoree@NJLahoripic.twitter.com/WhE7kMWqWr
10-year-old child named Fatima Phuriro has been found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur city, District Khairpur.
The child had been working as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.
Fatima’s mother, Shabana, was informed about the death by the employer who asked her to remove the body from the premises where two of Fatima’s sisters are also employed.
According to DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani, the parents initially did not share the facts of the case with the police and claimed that the girl was suffering from gastroenteritis. While her diagnosis was also confirmed by Dr Abdul Fatah Memon who treated her, the DIG revealed that Fatima was taken to the hospital either by the Pir or his staff and that the SHO was present at the time she was pronounced dead.
It was not until videos of torture were leaked by an unknown source and circulated in social media that the case caught media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.
As per police sources, CCTV footage from the house’s bedroom also revealed Fatima in a troubling state. In the video, the child can be seen lying on the ground. She tries to get up, then gets agitated, before collapsing. A woman later enters the room with another minor maid. They both try to wake the girl up. When they fail to do so, a man gets up from the bed and tries to shake her awake.
https://youtu.be/QcgCrFYYI9g
Journalist Riyaz Sohail claimsedthat the police had been trying to coerce the relatives to remain silent about the incident.
DSP Qudoos Kalwar met Fatima’s parents and reported the seriousness of the case to the DIG and demanded exhumation of the body. After being taken into confidence, Shabana revealed details to the SSP Khairpur district Rohail Khoso. “The parents were told that if they didn’t disclose facts, police will take action on their own, and they will go for exhumation and lodge a case,” the DIG said.
Moreover, according to Dawn.com, Sindh Director General Health Dr Irshad Memon believes that the doctors’ reports about her examination needed to be verified.
The SSP ordered to conduct a DNA test in case of apprehension of rape.
“My daughter had a fractured arm. She had bruises and some marks — apparently of torture — were there on her body, especially around her neck and belly.”, described Shabana.
According to Geo reports, Shabana claimed that Fatima was subjected to torture for several days and that she died as a result of multiple injuries.
DIG Sukkur formed a team headed by an SSP, and ordered an investigation into the matter. He also ordered to that the body of the child be exhumed to verify the allegations of torture. The investigation team also includes DSP Counterterrorism Department Sukkur Abdul Qudoos Kalwar and ASP Gambat, Noman Siddiqui.
The DIG also suspended SHO Ranipur Ameer Chang.
Furthermore, the police arrested Pir Asad following the registration of an FIR under Sections 302 (qatl-i-amd; premeditated murder) and 34 ( acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the PPC on the Shabana’s complaint.
Asad has denied all charges and said that his family’s name is being tainted. He says that Fatima’s death was caused by a stomach ailment.
As Fatima Phuriro’s case came to the fore, rumours circulated that the alleged murderer, Pir Asad Shah Jilani, is the son-in-law of PPP vice chairman, Syed Fayyaz Shah.
Bakhtawar Bhutto dismissed these rumours while condemning the murder in her latest tweet.
For sheer political hatred people are projecting blame away from the demented perpetrator (who personally speaking should be burnt alive for his sins) & instead deflect to somehow blame PPP – the only party that has actually legislated against both child labour & child marriage. https://t.co/LXVoX3LDTZ
Qazi Asif, a Sindh based senior journalist, has on Sunday shared the autopsy report of 10-year-old Fatima who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at the haveli of a pir in Ranipur. Viral footage filmed most likely on CCTV cameras inside one of the bedrooms in the house showed the child collapsing on the ground, after rising up in a distressed state from a makeshift bed on the ground.
A man, purportedly Pir Asad Shah Jelani, a member of the notable Pirs of Ranipur, can allegedly be seen in the video, rising from bed and trying to wake the girl up.
The post mortem examination has confirmed her parents’ fears, revealing that the 10-year-old domestic worker was raped both vaginally and anally. The report also pointed out multiple injuries all over her body.
Qazi Asif, a Sindh based senior journalist, has on Sunday shared the autopsy report of 10-year-old Fatima who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at the haveli of a pir in Ranipur. Viral footage filmed most likely on CCTV cameras inside one of the bedrooms in the house showed the child collapsing on the ground, after rising up in a distressed state from a makeshift bed on the ground.
A man, purportedly Pir Asad Shah Jelani, a member of the notable Pirs of Ranipur, can allegedly be seen in the video, rising from bed and trying to wake the girl up.
The post mortem examination has confirmed her parents’ fears, revealing that the 10-year-old domestic worker was raped both vaginally and anally. The report also pointed out multiple injuries all over her body.
Children rights activist and veteran actress Nadia Jamil, among other public figures, had condemned the incident and demanded that the authorities hold the abuser accountable.
Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl, has been found dead in her home in Surrey with multiple injuries inflicted over her body. Her father, along with the child’s step mother and their five children, have seemingly left for Pakistan.
According to the Surrey police, Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool, along with five children, left for Pakistan on Wednesday 9 August. The next day, Sara’s body was discovered in their home in Woking. Sharif made a call to the police station, after which officials arrived to discover the dead body.
Sara’s body has multiple injuries, inflicted over a period of time, police have said.
In a press release to the media, Detective Mark Chapman said the Surrey Police was working with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Interpol, National Crime Agency, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office to ensure that the culprits are caught and brought to swift action.
“Firstly, on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences following Sara’s tragic death,” Chapman said. “Our thoughts are with her mother at this difficult time. We also fully appreciate the impact this devastating incident will have had within the local community,” he stated.
“While the postmortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry.
“As a result, we are trying to piece together a picture of Sara’s lifestyle but we cannot do this without the public’s help. That is why we are appealing for anyone who knew Sara, had any form of contact with her, or has any other information about her, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to come forward as soon as possible.”
Islamabad police have arrested a woman after yet another case of torture on a minor working as domestic help in a house.
Andaleeb Fatima, 13 was named as the victim in the FIR, filed by her mother, Khalida Bibi, a resident of Chiniot in Punjab. Andaleeb had been working for the accused woman since July of this year and according to her mother, she was unable to talk to her daughter since was not allowed to do so by her employer.
It was only when Khalida Bibi visited Fatima after several unanswered calls that she found out about the torture inflicted upon her daughter. She found bruises on different parts of her daughter’s body. Fatima told her mother that her employer routinely beat her and tormented her with a hot spoon. She also locked her up and did not feed her food.
On Khalida’s arrival, the employer locked mother and daughter in a room so that they are unable to speak against her. However, later, she released them from confinement and sent them off without Andaleeb’s salary.
Andaleeb has been admitted in a hospital for medical examination while investigation into the case has been initiated. The registered case is based on the charges of 328-A (cruelty to a child), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).According to Dawn.com, the accused was presented before a magistrate’s court and was later sent to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on judicial remand.
Rizwana, a teenaged victim of domestic torture, awaits justice. Her case, with horrifying details of injuries, is being followed with great interest by the public, mainly because the main suspect, Somia Hafeez, is the wife of civil judge Asim Hafeez. Somia has been charged with allegedly physically torturing the girl, who worked as a maid in her home, after accusing her of stealing jewellery.
But will the courts be fair in their judgement?
In 2016, 10-year-old Tayyaba, working as a domestic worker, was severely tortured by her employees. Tayyaba, a native of Faisalabad, was living in Islamabad to work and financially support her family after her father lost a finger. The employers in question were Islamabad judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife.
According to Dr. Tariq Iqbal, who was heading the medical board, the girl had “some burns, some traumas, some lacerations, some blisters [on her body]”.
In April 2018, the couple was found guilty and sentenced to 12 months in jail. The sentence was increased to three years by Islamabad High Court in June 2018, following an appeal by prosecutors, with a Rs500,000 fine.
However, in 2019, the verdict was reversed as Tayyaba’s lawyer claimed that no abuse was inflicted on the convict and that her bruises were “accidental” while the statement she gave in court during cross-examination was “memorised like a parrot”.
Resultantly, in 2020, the apex court set aside the three year sentence and maintained the one-year jail term for the convicts.
Like Tayyaba, will 14-year old Rizwana be left at the whims of power? Will she too one day say that the injuries she has, requiring surgeries and stays in ICU wards, were incurred accidentally?
Will justice be served? Or delayed and denied once again?
