Panchayat members arrested for ordering 'revenge rape' in Multan

A horrific incident took place in Multan when members of a panchayat (local council) ordered the rape of a 16-year-old girl as punishment for a rape allegedly committed by her brother.

According to local police, a man had complained to the panchayat that his 12-year-old sister had been raped by their cousin. The panchayat then ordered the complainant to rape the 16-year-old sister of the accused in revenge.

"A jirga had ordered the rape of a 16-year-old girl as punishment, as her brother had raped a 12-year-old," said Allah Baksh, a local police official, to AFP.

Police, upon hearing of the incident, arrested 10 members of the panchayat, including its leader. 

A search is currently under way for the remaining men, including the main accused, who fled the scene following the incident.

Read more: Panchayats have no standing, legal or otherwise

Speaking to Geo News, SHO Muzaffarabad Malik Rashid said the First Information Report (FIR) for both cases had been registered at the women crisis centre. Adding this was an incident between relatives, the SHO questioned the authority of the panchayat. 

“Who ordered them to order such a crime.” 

CM takes notice 

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and sought a report from the Multan capital city police officer (CCPO). 

The chief minister has directed that justice should be provided to the affected family. 

Read more: Rape survivours should raise their voice 

CPO Multan Ahsan Younis , talking to Geo News, said a search is under way to arrest the remaining accused. 

He informed that the case has been registered against the accused on the complaint of the local SHO.

According to the CPO, the second incident was not reported to the police. 

"When the first FIR was lodged and investigated we came to know that there was more to the case which was being hidden. When we investigated further and chased the accused during the last 2-3 days, the entire incident was unearthed." 

Witness protection needed 

Speaking to Geo News, leading human rights lawyer Asma Jehangir condemned the incident. She stressed the need for better training of police and judges, as well as witness protection programmes so perpetrators of such crimes can be brought to book. 

Terming the punishments handed out by panchayats as barbaric, the right activist said such practices have continued unabated for years.

'Heart-broken over the incident'

In 2002, a panchayat ordered the gang rape of Mukhtar Mai after her brother was accused of rape. 

Mai has since raised her voice against such horrendous crimes and told Geo News that the she is heart-broken over what transpired in Multan. 

“Such incidents remind me of what happened with me in 2002,” she said.

Mai added that the flaw lies within the weakness in the law and lack of implementation puts hurdles in the way of justice

Panchayat's formed of local elders, are a traditional means of settling disputes in Pakistan's rural areas, where courts and lawyers are not always accessible or trusted.

Additional input from AFP