July 03, 2019
FAISALABAD: A local court on Tuesday handed over a minor domestic help, embroiled in a sexual abuse case with a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA), to the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau (CPWS).
MPA Mian Tahir Jamil and his sons were named in a first information report (FIR) registered on June 30 in Batala Colony police station for sexually abusing the 15-year-old girl.
According to police, the minor girl refused to go accompany her father, Riaz, home after a hearing of his petition to regain her custody. The court made the decision based on 15-year-old's consent and recording her statement.
The lawyer representing the minor said Riaz, the father, had come under pressure from MPA Mian Tahir Jamil and his sons, due to which the girl declined going back home. She cited a lack of protection at her residence as her reason, the lawyer added.
The minor girl wishes to continue her battle to obtain justice in the sexual abuse case, the lawyer explained.
The FIR filed on behalf of the 15-year-old girl's father accused Jamil and two of his sons of sexually harassing the girl, whereas it was alleged that the PML-N member's wife beat the minor.
The minor's father had at that time claimed that his daughter was raped on at least two occasions, which prompted the police to have a medical test carried out on the girl.
The MPA's sons were accused of engaging in inappropriate acts with the minor girl.
A day later, the survivor's sister had claimed the MPA and his sons had started harassing her family.
Speaking to Geo News, the minor's sister had said Jamil was pressurising her family and relatives through her brother-in-law and paternal uncle to let the matter go and, instead, come to an out-of-court agreement or reconciliation.
The survivor's sister had further claimed that the MPA had convinced her father to come to an out-of-court agreement and he was harassing the minor girl to let the matter go.
However, the minor girl wanted justice for herself, the sister had said, adding that her paternal uncle was keeping her father for the past two days. Some other relatives were still on the survivor's side, she added.
The MPA, on the other hand, has denied all claims of sexual abuse and harassment and termed the allegations as false. He had said Monday he was cooperating with police in the investigation and had claimed that the survivor's father had come to an agreement with him.
Jamil went on to allege that the survivor's sister was being egged on by local leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), his opponents. However, on Sunday, he had claimed that the minor girl was a thief and said the allegations were an act of "political revenge".
On the other hand, authorities were waiting for permission from the Punjab Assembly speaker to arrest the MPA, the superintendent of police (SP) for Iqbal Town, Dr Fahad, had maintained.