



A family of farmers in Punjab had to pay a heavy price upon asking for their wages – five of their teenage girls were allegedly gang raped by eight local landlords in Kitro, Sheikhupura district.





According to B*, a resident of Noon village, his daughter and nieces – all between 14 and 18 years – were abducted by the landlords and taken into the fields, where they were gang raped.

The girls are all unmarried, police officials said.

B and his family, who had two weeks ago temporarily moved to Kitro to work in the fields, had demanded their two-week salary from their employers – Zaheer and Tassadaq, alias Mara Jutt.

In turn, the two ‘infuriated’ landlords and their accomplices warned them of ‘dire’ consequences. Their threats materialised later that night when they attacked B’s dera and tied up his family with ropes, before taking off with the girls.According to contents of the FIR, B said they managed to set themselves free and set off on a search for the girls and the men. They found the girls in the field, while the accused managed to escape.Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the residence of B, the complainant in the case, and directed the police to immediately arrest all the accused.He also presented cheques to the victim’s family, and assured them that the accused would be brought to justice.Four out of the eight accused have been identified as Tassadaq alias Mara Jutt, Noor Ahmad alias Noori, Aqeel, Zaheer Ahmad, while the identities of the other four is yet to be ascertained.The victims were shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Sheikhupura.Narang Mandi Police Station SHO Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal while talking to The Express Tribune said that initial medical reports confirmed that the girls were raped.A case has been registered with the Narang Mandi police station against the eight accused men, the SHO said.

He added that three of the main accused have been arrested, while the remaining would be arrested soon. *name has been concealed to protect The VICTIMS’ privacy

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27, 2012.