Police negligence responsible for rising 'suicides' among girls
ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: The negligence of corrupt police is the main cause behind alarming increase in suicide rate among girls in Chitral as the law enforcers willfully bury such cases, fearing spread of sectarian clashes.
The incompetent police are still clueless how to deal with such brutal elements who take law into their hands, forcing the girls to take their lives. They come with lame excuses of seatrain clashes instead of making the unscrupulous elements an example for others.
In a latest incident of never ending series of girls suicides, reported by Mr Sher Wali Khan Aseer, Safina Bibi, 24, D/o Shahid, a resident of Istar, Torkhow and settled in Chinar village for the last so many years ended her life by taking poison.
As usual, the police did not go for investigation of the case on the pretext that it will ignite sectarian violence. These so-called saviors of the nation succumbed to the pressure of clerics and handed over the body to the legal heirs without even an autopsy. What a shame for the police that it did not have the courage to dig out the facts behind the gory incident.
According to sources, the girl was under immense pressure from her parents and relatives after tying the knot with one Abdul Qayyum of Brok, Laspur – a boy from Islmaili community – against the consent of her parents.
They said that the annoyed parents including relatives of the girl made her life miserable, bypassing unethical, uncivilized and un-Islamic remarks for tying nuptial knot with an Ismaili boy.
In the beginning, the parents were in no way in agreement to accept the girl, but after passage of time they weaved a filthy net to bring her back and take revenge.
When the girl happily joined her family, they performed the whole nikah process afresh. They also promised the couple a piece of land in Chinar so that they could live a more comfortable life compared to Laspur – an area considered to be a bit backward.
But the glorious day of having her own house at the land promised by her parents, never came. A day before leaving this world forever, the girl asked her mother to talk to her father – a laborer working in Peshawar – to show her the promised piece of land but a straight ‘no’ from her father came as a shock to her, compelling her to end the life forever to get rid of their derogatory remarks curses once forever.
The level hatred can be judged from the fact that an uncle of the girl, a taxi driver, refused to take her to the nearby hospital when she was found unconscious after taking poison on Feb 11. A sympathetic aunt could not resist the whole scene and arranged another vehicle for taking her to hospital where she was pronounced dead by the doctors – shame on the parents whose ill parenting led them to see the doomsday.
When contacted, Sher Zaman, a police spokesman at Police Station Mastuj, negated the incompetence of the department, saying the husband of the girl could not pinpoint the real cause of death.
When asked why the police believed on the guy instead of going ahead for proper investigation, he claimed that the leadership of both Sunni and Ismaili communities had intervened and did not allow the police to carry out their routine investigation – what a lame excuse, should this be the duty of police, is million dollar question.
According to an eyewitness, her feelingless, cruel, brutal parents along with other well wishers, refused to lay down her dead body in the grave. They said that they have no words to explain the fascist mindset of her relatives as a cleric came forward to lay her dead body in the grave.
Can a blood-relative of young girl remain unmoved on witnessing such an untimely death of their young daughter – indeed a mindset no different from hardliner extremist and fanatics elements, who behead innocent people just in the name of religion.
When contacted, acting District Police Officer (DPO) Chitral Mir Azam accepted that the police had failed to control the increasing trend of suicide among girls, fearing sectarian violence in the district.
“We’re at a cacth-22 position. We’re unable to do anything about such cases…the moment we’ll arrest the father of this particular girl, the clerics will take to the streets, giving it a sectarian colour, creating a law and order situation,” he added. However, when he was reminded that the job of the police is to take action instead of giving lame excuses and bowing down to pressure of handful clerics, he assured that the law will spring into action if both communities agreed to dig out the case. But it is a wild goose chase.]]>
Zakir Hussain, don’t go through the bushes and talk about this particular incident because it is more authentic due to the police reports mentioned by Mr. Sher Wali Khan Aseer. Here I would like to thanks Mr. Aseer for his bold reporting. In the past, such news were hidden under the carpet.
But now it will not be possible to conceal such incidents InshaALLAH due to a site like Chitraltoday.net. Exposing the culprits will be easy, InshaALLAH. The reason why the clerics raised a hue and cry over the Brep incident was that the girl had been a madrassa student. But the question here is, are those who are not seminary students not human being?
This is very unfortunate to note that some people have opted to stay back, perhaps they are afraid of the clerics. They have just forgotten that even a month ago they had claimed to expose all those behind sectarian issues. I just want to refresh their mind that this is the time to speak and do not hoodwink people that you are so brave. You always exposed the elements igniting sectarianism whether misusing the loudspeakers of the mosques or through the platform of different religious congregations. It would be unfair if I did not mention those who left no stone unturned in defending the ill-deeds of their forefathers but their lips were sealed when a poor girl was tortured to death just for marrying an Ismaili boy. If you do not have the guts, just do not pretend to be a champion of human rights. At the same time, I would also like to remind the incompetent Ismaili leadership, which has nothing to do except negotiating with the clerics, and sometimes greasing their palms in the name of so-called religious harmony. Shame on you. This is just because of poor Ismaili leadership due to which the clerics are haunting us through one way or the other.
When my friends like Qudus Khan and Abid Ali remind us of the hue and cry by extremists over a girl’s suicide in Brep a few years back it does not surprise me. The contractors and champions of Islam in Chitral have always beat their chests when there is something that can bring them personal gain and interests. In reality, they are the enemies of Islam, enemies of peace and enemies of co-existence and a threat to human dignity. It was due to these thugs that perhaps for the first time in living memory the dead body of a young woman was exhumed from her grave in Brep. But the contractors of Islam felt no shame and remorse that there was no foul play on parts of the poor family and the woman had committed suicide by jumping into the river.
But in the case of the suicide by the married girl in Chinar, circumstances were created for her to take her life. This is also a crime when you force a human being to kill herself/himself by creating unfavourable condition for the to live. Whoever they were they must be brought to justice so that no more girls or women take their own life.
Secondly, I also condemn the so-called human rights organizations and activists who have been holding different fake programs in the name of human rights but remain silent in all such situation. Now there is no doubt that these people are working to get funding from their foreign masters and roam around in expensive vehicles.
In order to check the dangerous trends of suicides among women of Chitral, we must make collective efforts to make all segments of society like law enforcers, community leaders, media, religious people having no political ambitions but peace and betterment of society at large responsible for creating an atmosphere where no one should force others to live a life at others’ diktats.
Chitraltoday.net is the only site which puts the actual stories in front of the masses but unfortunately this news was never published in other news sites. Shame on journalists who always protect their own vested interests. I would like to request all the respectable members please express your condemnation for such brutal incidents in society so that the real picture of Chitral Police is exposed in front of the public. Shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a reflection on the direction of our society as it is moving forward. Historically Chitrali society has been tolerant and pluralist, where people from different ethnic, clan, linguistic and different faith-perspectives lived together peacefully and harmoniously. It was an era when we were ‘disconnected’ from the rest of the world. Now we are becoming ‘connected’, especially to our volatile neighbourhood; and it seems we are borrowing many things including intolerance from others.
Our police has found a good excuse of neglecting its responsibility pretending the fear of sectarianism. The absence of police action is a serious matter. Few years ago a girl from Torkhow fled with a boy from Lotkoh valley; they were held by Chitral police and the boy was tortured, though they married eventually. When a suicide case came to light in Brep village nearly two years ago, there was an uproar in Chitral, even a political party organized demonstrations in Peshawar; now when another case has been highlighted there is a total silence. Does it mean that the lives of some Chitralis are less worthy than the rest?
The DPO and the concerned police station officers should be brought to book. The way they have tried to push the whole case under the carpet speaks volume about their incompetence. The journalist deserves appreciation for identifying the real culprits which is of course the police, and such elements must be exposed. The
DPO should be ashamed of his inability to take action against the elements. Let me remind the DPO that he had not gone to Chitral to enjoy the beautiful weather. We appeal to the police officers to do some justice with their uniform or Allah will never forgive them on the day of misjudgement if they remained a silent spectator to the never-ending suicides of the poor girls. Hang all those involved in the killing of this poor girls, who ended her life as a result of extremist mindset, who instead of realizing their own responsibility are pretending to be the sole contractor of Islam. Shame on the boy who remained silent when the girl who by breaking all the taboos opted to marry him but he gave her nothing in return for her love.
I think the blood of Ismailis is cheaper than anything else. SHAME ON CHITRALI POLICE. And not allowing an autopsy by the parents of the girl is a big question mark for the law forcement agencies………..shame
Abid, do you have any case of non-Ismaili being treated differently. All of us are Chitralis and brothers and sisters. A teenage boy also committed suicide in upper Chitral two days ago. This problem should not be seen on communal or sectarian basis. We have to stop it by whatever means and put pressure on police to find out the causes. Please be proud of our culture of harmony, respect and love for each other. Chitralis are the most civilized and peaceful people in Pakistan and we must promote our values peaceful Chitral.
It is extremely shameful for the district police to ignore such an incident and definitely they have performed their profession hyprocritically. Shame!!!!! Why these were shouting when the Brep incident happened a few years back. Amazing, really amazing….When they do it is right…..wow….what a religious harmony in Chitral.
Nothing so brutal can happen on earth. Women will never get their rights until and unless they are made aware of the rights the religion has given to them. They need to be educated about their rights so they can at least raise voice for themselves. Life is a gift from Allah almighty and is something most precious for a living being, the day a person decides to put it to an end is obviously the one he or she is so helpless about and the day anyone dies because of the cruelties of the society is definitely the death of the whole humanity…… and the dilemma begins when the protectors of rights back away from their duty.