Syed Moosa Rasan
CHARSADDA: Hilal Asghar, a resident of Sarki village in district Charsadda, is a free man and his job as a government employee at local government primary school is still intact.
He was recently released from prison after paying ransom for his heinous crime. Asghar had last year raped a seven-year-old minor girl when she was about to leave for her home after spending a day in school.
Asghar, who was a peon at her school, trapped her through a cheap and mean tactic by offering her some sweets. Then taking advantage of absence of his wife and kids, Asghar took the minor into his home and then to his bedroom to rape her.
The horrible incident was revealed when the girl was rushed to Charsadda’s government hospital in critical condition. Upon revelation of the gory saga, police registered the first information report (FIR) of the crime and it was followed by a raid at the culprit’s house by law enforcement agencies and his subsequent arrest.
Asghar had confessed to his crime during the initial investigation. He was soon convicted and sent to jail.
Asghar’s case is not an isolated incident. Such acts are rampant across the country but rarely reported, primarily due to reasons related to social taboos and fear psychosis.
A lot of hue and cry is heard in corridors of power when any incident of child abuse is reported in the country.
Addressing the problem of child abuse was on top of ruling PTI’s agenda before and after coming into power. The issue had become a hot topic in the parliament after a number of minors were molested in different parts of Punjab. There were also emotional speeches in parliament with members from both opposition and treasury benches demanding legislation. But with the passage of time, the issue, as usually happens, went into cold storage.
The lack of determination and seriousness to end such evils from the country by people who matter become a reason for people like Asghar to roam scot free despite their convictions for their sins.
According to locals, Asghar’s family had recently paid 20 lakh rupees as compensation for his horrible and inhumane act to the victim’s family. The ransom was only paid when Asghar’s relatives failed to make headway in making the aggrieved party take back the case.
According to legal experts, under the deal in which the convict was set free is legal in Pakistan given that Pakistan’s law is a mixture of Sharia and British common law. Pakistan penal code covers rape as a crime against the state which in legal terms means that an accused can be set free if the victim or the victim’s family pardon the accused. Local elders and police usually facilitate such deals and Asghar’s case too was settled in such a manner.
Monetary offers coupled with some pressure on the victim’s family by the police to reach a settlement out of court and a widespread belief that courts fail to deliver justice force victims like the family of Sarki’s seven-year-old minor prefer to forgive the accused or convict. Ends
