A Christian woman was raped for four days; the rapist identified himself as a senior

[Admin Khan]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 24-year-old Christian woman was abducted and raped for a period of four days in different cities by a person who identified himself as a serving Major in the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) agency which is the intelligence wing of the Pakistan Army. A First Information Report was filed but the police have been unable to arrest him. After releasing the victim at the Faisalabad, Punjab province, railway station he threatened her that if she told anybody about the rape he would involve her parents in a bomb blast case.

Please send an urgent appeal to the authorities to arrest the rapist and initiate an enquiry into the involvement of an army officer in the abduction and rape of a Christian woman.

CASE NARRATIVE:

Ms. Sehar Naz, aged 24, from Christian Town, Faisalabad, Punjab province, works as a sales officer in the State Life Insurance, a government insurance company. She was going with her area manager and sales manager in their car to attend a conference on 14 April 2011. As the car reached the circuit road near the Serena Hotel crossing a person in a black shirt and trousers stopped the car and introduced himself as Arif Atif Rana, a Major in the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). He was standing with a traffic police official and asked the occupants of the car to show their identity papers. As he received the identity card of Sehar Naz he told the insurance officers that a call has been received by him against Sehar and that he wanted to take her for investigation. The insurance officers tried to prevent this but he threatened to kill them for interfering with his official work.

The insurance officers quickly lodged a police report on the same day at Civil Lines Police Station, Faisalabad, that she was abducted by an army officer who claimed that he was a Major in the ISI. The police lodged the FIR (First Information Report) with number of 454/11, but, as is common, did not pursue the case because of the involvement of the ISI.

Major Rana took her on his scooter to different places and then to his house in Samanabad, Faisalabad. He kept her at that location for two days and then took her to Lahore, the capital of Punjab province and raped her in his custody on each of these four days. On 18 April he dropped her at the Faisalabad railway station and threatened her that if she told anyone about the rape he would arrest her parents in a bomb blast case. He went on to say that it is easy to book Christians in any case.

When she was released her parents and the Pakistan's National Commission for Justice & Peace Faisalabad office took the victim to record her statement before the police, (which was recorded on 19 April) and according to Ms. Naz the rapist was from the ISI and claimed to be of the rank of Major. The police then issued a certificate for a medical examination which proved that she had been sexually assaulted. She again confirmed to the police investigation officer, Assistant Sub Inspector Basheer that Major Atif Arif Rana had kidnapped and raped her at gun point but the police have made no move to arrest him.

PAKISTAN: A Christian woman was raped for four days; the rapist identified himself as a senior officer in the Inter Services Intelligence Agency — Asian Human Rights Commission

[khushal]

Panjab has a culture of rape. This is well documented.

[afghan]

the rapist will now become a heroe for pakies by raping a kafir. the gang rape is a paki culture.

[faye]

approximately one gang rape every 8 hours according to pakistans own statistics.

[khushal]

approximately one gang rape every 8 hours according to pakistans own statistics.

Its not a paki thing, it is happening in panjab mostly and some in sindh. The village councils punish families that have been accused of something by gang raping the accused families female members.

[faye]

kushal, it is a worldwide thing. what do you mean, it is not a paki thing? if it is happening in pakistan, it is a paki thing.
the stats come from the pakistan human rights commis and is an estimate. 1 rape every 2 hours and gang rape, like i said already. i am not pointing fingers just stating facts as i have read them. america is said to be 1 rape every 2 minutes and australia is 4th on the list for high rape stats.

[randolph85]

pakistan has nothing on south africa though, that is the rape capital of the world by far.

[randolph85]

http://patdollard.com/2010/11/nearly...being-rapists/

40% of south african men admit to being rapists.

[faye]

in africa, little girls are being raped by some men who have aids as it is believed that to have sex with a virgin gets rid of the disease. i heard of this about 20 years ago and apparently it still happens.

[faye]

that's horrific randolph. i saw a documentary where they interviewed women in a shelter and some stories were unrepeatable here. it was in one of the african countries where there is war.

[randolph85]

i wonder where that culture of rape comes from, its ridiculously sick and u would think that rapists would not admit to their crimes but apparently in south africa its alllll good. they talk about afghan women being oppressed because they cant show off their cleavage but no one mentions women in south africa.

[faye]

yes, one wonders why they have no empathy for the victim when they have mothers and sisters etc, themselves. it is very strange, like they are cut off from their feelings.

[emkhan]

nobody talks about the reasons and how can we stop it ? I think only condemning it will not stop it because the ratio of rape has increased dramatically.

[Bengal_Tiger]

The ISI is a disgusting organization we all know that.

Faye, though rape is a horrendous crime and not confined to any race or group what Khushal is saying is that it is more common in Sindh and Punjab and linked to their culture than other areas. In England (I stress England and not the UK) we had a major soccer hooligan problem, but it was more an English thing and not a Scottish or Welsh one, so not a British problem though of course there may have been Scottish football thugs but not on the same level as the English ones....a silly analogy but hope it makes sense.

Khushal, though I am no fan of Punjab, rape isn't actually part of their culture or punishments as far as I know. There have been one or two cases of village councils "panchayat" selecting rape as a punishment (appalling that we are speaking about such things in the 21st century) including the famous Mukhtaran Mai scandal, but even then the culprits were Balochis who had been Punjabized or alternatively, Punjabis of Balochi ancestry, and Balochi culture is very violent and brutal. However I could be wrong and maybe rape as punishment is more common in Sindh and Punjab than I thought.

Anyway it is a crime, and not just a crime, but an atrocity, especially as it is against women. This is partly as a consequence of the feudal nature of Punjab/Sindh which even after 60 years of Pakistan hasn't stopped.

[randolph85]

nobody talks about the reasons and how can we stop it ? I think only condemning it will not stop it because the ratio of rape has increased dramatically.

the solution is simple, as is with any major crime. punishment. but beyond punishment there must be a responsible authority that genuinely seeks to punish those accused of crime, especially rape. u must have men at the top who have a moral conviction that seek to put an end to such a problem. it all starts at the top.