Jhelum rape case prompts call attention notice in Punjab Assembly

LAHORE: The Jhelum rape case, which came to light a day earlier, prompted a member of the Punjab Assembly (MPA) to submit on Tuesday a call attention notice, seeking an update on the matter after the arrest of a suspect.

Call attention notices in the assembly are used by lawmakers to highlight a special question of public importance and can be directed at any concerned minister.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) MPA Sumera Komal submitted the notice, seeking answers and updates on the case from Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. Referring to the Daily Jang's February 3 report, Komal asked if the alleged sexual assault really happened.

Any police action?

The MPA inquired about the girl's details, the madrassa she studied at, and the information in media reports — written on the basis of a first information report (FIR) after the survivor's initial statement. She further asked whether any action was taken by the police and sought an update for the assembly to the investigation.

Jhelum DPO Captain (r) Syed Hammad Abid confirmed on Monday that a man in Dina had sexually abused the teenage girl, who was on her way home from a madrassa. However, he had refuted reports that it was a gang-rape case and noted that authorities were still searching for the suspect.

The minor survivor made changes to her initial statement and, therefore, a rickshaw driver — and not the van driver or its conductor — had been identified as the one who sexually assaulted the girl, Capt (r) Abid had added.

Test confirms rape

According to sources in the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital in Jhelum, an initial medical report of the survivor had confirmed the rape. It also indicated that there were multiple blood spots on the girl's clothes and scratch marks — from nails — on both sides of her face and various parts of her body.

Read more: DPO says teen rape survivor revised statement, suspect still on the run

"We are carrying out further investigation and we have received some new evidences, so we are working on that," he noted. "When she left the madrassa in Talagang and got into a rickshaw, the rickshaw driver took her to an abandoned place where he raped her.

"It has been confirmed that there was no conductor on the van and there were passengers there as well," he explained, adding that DNA swabs from the survivor were obtained and sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA).

'Girl changed her statement'

The DPO, when asked to explain what he meant when he said the teenage girl stepped off "happily", had told Geo News that according to the FIR's text, she had said all the passengers disembarked the van at Dina and she was left alone. The girl said that the bus conductor and driver both raped her before throwing her on a road in Dina and fleeing.

"However, it was midday and at that time, there's a lot of traffic on GT Road," Capt Abid had said. "It's premature to say anything until the DNA report is released. We have obtained numerous evidences and are working on those.

"The girl changed her statement and the case is being solved in light of the new information," he had added.