PM Imran Khan seeks report on Islamabad harassment case

• PM Imran Khan seeks reports on Islamabad harassment and motorway rape cases.
• Directs Ministry of Law and Justice to conduct follow-up on both  cases on a daily basis and bring them to conclusion.
• Federal govt decides to pursue couple's harassment case on state's behalf.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the relevant authorities to submit a progress report on the pursuit of the Islamabad harassment case, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said Wednesday.

The State has announced to pursue the case pertaining to a couple's harassment in Islamabad after the female victim withdrew her statement and submitted an affidavit to refuse further proceedings.

Taking to Twitter, the SAPM Gill said that aside from the Islamabad harassment case, the premier has sought a report on the motorway rape case as well and has directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to conduct a follow-up on both cases on a daily basis and bring them to a conclusion.

Gill quoted PM Imran Khan as saying, "protection of the citizens' rights is the primary duty of the government."

Earlier, PTI's Parliamentarian Secretary Maleeka Bokhari had tweeted to announce the federal government's decision to pursue the couple's harassment case on the state's behalf.

She said that the decision has been taken in view of the female victim's denial of recognising the suspects despite the availability of "irrefutable" video and forensic evidence.

Maleeka further stated that the culprits involved in the case must face the law.

"The State will pursue prosecution in the Usman Mirza case irrespective of recent developments relating to victim's testimony. Irrefutable video & forensic evidence on record- anyone harassing & stripping a woman must face full force of the law," she wrote.

Female victim refuses to pursue case

On Tuesday, during the hearing of the case at Islamabad District and Sessions Court, the female victim submitted a stamp paper and said that “the police itself has created this case, neither I have recognised any accused nor have signed any papers.”

The primary accused, Usman Mirza, along with seven others, were presented before the court were presented before the court on Tuesday's hearing.

"I have not given an affidavit under anyone’s pressure," she had said.

She further claimed that the police took her signature and thumb impressions on blank papers multiple times.

"I don’t know any of the accused in this case, nor do I want to pursue the case further," she had said.

Pointing out to one of the accused in the case, she said that, “I have only seen Rehan and others accused in police stations, I don’t even know them.”

"No one has tried to assault me sexually, neither I know Rehan and nor he was making my video," the victim had claimed.

She also denied giving ransom money to anyone.

Previously, the female victim had recorded her statement in front of the magistrate in which she had said Usman Mirza and the other accused had "threatened to gang-rape me if I did not have sex with my friend while they filmed it."

The victim said she was "forced to perform a nude dance in front of Usman and his accomplices," adding that she was beaten up when she refused.

The case

It is worth mentioning here that last year in July, a video surfaced on social media in which the main accused in the case, Usman Mirza, could be seen violently thrashing and harassing the young couple in a room full of other men.

Within a few hours of the video going viral, the Islamabad police took Mirza into custody and registered a first information report (FIR) in the case.

Later on, seven people, including Usman Mirza, were indicted in the Islamabad couple harassment case.

Additional Sessions Judge Ata Rabbani had indicted all the accused, including Hafiz Ataur Rehman, Farhan Shaheen, Adaras Qayyum Butt, Rehan Hassan Mughal, Umar Bilal and Mohib Bangash.

Furthermore, Islamabad High Court had rejected the bail appeals of the three accused and directed the authorities to complete Usman Mirza's trial case in two months.