2005-11-14 - Probe suggests case against SSP, SHO under Hudood Ord (Daily Times)

ISLAMABAD: A special inquiry team said on Monday that there are sufficient grounds to prosecute police officials on charges of raping, abducting and harassing Sonia Naz and recommended that they be tried under the Hudood Ordinance.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Aslam Tareen, chairman of the investigation team, told a full bench of the Supreme Court that the Sattokatla station house officer (SHO) has been directed to submit a challan in court against SP Khalid Abdullah and SHO Jamshed Chishti under the Hudood Ordinance.

The bench, consisting of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice M Javed Buttar and Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, accepted the report and disposed of the matter. However, the court will continue to hear corruption cases against Naz’s husband.

Earlier, the investigation team in its November 8 report had concluded that there was no evidence to prove that the accused had abducted and raped Sonia Naz. The initial report had found sufficient evidence for harassment and mental torture, but not rape and abduction. The report was rejected by the attorney general of Pakistan and the chief justice, who ordered a fresh report saying that all available evidence had not been considered.

Sonia Naz, a mother of two, went to the parliament to seek help in search of her missing husband after the police had refused to register a case. She was arrested on charges of infringement. She was released on bail after a few days but was allegedly abducted by the Faisalabad Police and kept in illegal custody for a fortnight.