A Pathetic epoch of viciousness with a woman who is a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother.
Written by: KHADIJAH SHAH (RAYS OF DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION)

A protest was organized by a Human Rights NGO, Rays Of Development in Press Club , Sargodha District. The main intention was to endow the citizens, especially women, with their equal rights. The protest was against the negligence of police in the case of a victim named Waheeda Noureen w/o Mohammad Akbar, a poor woman 35 years old, a mother of six children, who faced the brutal attack and violence of the wild members of society.

On the 20th may 2008 at 10:30 am, she went to the post office and took the amount of 10,000 with her for some urgency. As soon as she entered her area, she faced an encounter of three men named Mohammad Aish, Mohammad Ismael and one unknown person. They started beating her without any specific reason or may be to show that she was inferior to them. They tormented her and pulled her through her hair mercilessly in the market place. They tattered her clothes and beat her down in the street. They snatched the amount of 10,000, a gold neck chain and a mobile phone of approximately 3,000, from her. Due to the hue and cry many people gathered there. Two men of Waheeda’s neighborhood named Mohammad Javed and Mohammad Iqbal, pleaded for mercy infront of those beastly men, to leave the poor victim. They left her but took with them her money as well as robbed her of her chastity, as they made her body exposed in the public area and did a great deal of offence by sitting over her as if she was a quadruped.

She on that specific day she went to the factory area Police Station. There she reported each and everything to the ASI investigating officer Mohammad Luqman. Though he was a senior officer but he did not take serious steps. He sent her to the DHQ hospital for check up. In the medical report there were many face injuries and scratches of nails which depict the violence.

The victim regularly kept on going to the Police station in sake of lodging an FIR and on the 24th May 2008 FIR was lodged according to the FIR no: 150, which was not at all sufficient. 25 witnesses spoke in the favor of Waheeda. The criminals were caught but were soon left without giving them any kind of punishment. The case was needed to be lodged under the article 337/l-2, 392 and 354/PPC. But this case was only given the article 354/PPC.

Due to this reason this victim came to the office of Rays of Development Human Rights Ngo, and requested for help. The Human Rights Organization welcomed her warmly and promised her to provide her justice. Rays of Development played the leading role in this case. On 1st June 2008 at 11:30 at press club a protest was held. In that protest many leading personalities, approximately 40 NGOs and people took part. It was a procession of 100 people who belonged to different professions, men as well as women, holding banners in their hands in opposition to the police force, took out a rally on the City Road and blocked the traffic for half an hour. Their demand was to provide Waheeda justice and punish the criminals as well as the ASI investigating officer Mohammad Luqman, because of his negligence. The procession then returned to the press club showing their anger in the form of raising slogans against police force.

In this appeal the NGOs played a magnificent role. The Rays Of Development Org arranged this protest in the Press Club, in the assistance of General Secretary Rosy Dewan and Ferhan Mazher Chairman of Rays Of Development Org.. Besides them stood the TAANGH WASIAB Tanzeem's Chairperson Dr. Ahmad Khan, the Legal advisor Hassan Muhammad Khan, Zilla Sadar PPP Human rights and his other team members attended the protest. Aizaz-e-Niswan org played its important role under the guidance of Madam Naseem Gorge. STAR NGO’s Chairperson Riffat Rani, all Pakistan minority alliance’s main member Farukh Tanvir and President of Human Rights Committee Shiekh Mohammad Hafeez Khilan Sahib also played a vital role. MRJAN Chairperson of Welfare Society Dr. Ishrat Ali. APMA Nazim of Factory Area Chaudhary Mohammad Arshad, Haji Mohammad Arif, Ahmad Din, Dr. Naseer Ahmad the Chairman of Ashar-o-Zakat Committee, Sabiq Chaudhary, Mohammad Asghar, Jameela Bibi, Shameem Akhtar, Chairman of International Committee Human Rights Malik Inam-ul-Haq, from Ulema Council Syed Qurban Hussain Bukhari and member of Punjab Council PP Maulana Abdul Haleem and Maulana Nisar Ahmad also showed their crucial presence in the pageant.

Division President of Human Rights Committee Sargodha District PP Syed Tanvir Bukhari also attended the protest and encouraged those who were raising slogans. Media surrounded the whole procession and the security was tight. No violence was shown and the procession was peacefully held. Waheeda in the pleading way cried in front of the media for help her in providing security as she has been receiving threats from those people. If she will not be provided with security the she will linger in front of the prime minister house without eating anything till her last breadth. For further investigation the criminals are called on the 2nd June, 08. It is the demand of the NGOs that RPO and DPO of Sargodha should give concrete punishments to the criminals. The NGOs while talking to the media told that the cases of women aggression are escalating day by day and the Government of Punjab should pay serious attention on this matter.

Subsequently, the SHO of the factory area Police Station, Zameer-ul-Hassan informed the protestors that the Suprintendant Police SP investigation has held this case in their hand and assured them that now they will handle this case and provide the poor victim Waheeda with justice.




Report Recommended by: Ferhan Mazher (Chairman of Rays Of Development).