KARACHI-Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah taking serious notice of the rape case with a 10-year-old flood-affected girl has directed the police to arrest the culprits and take the remaining family members of the girl in protective care.
“This is totally unacceptable and cannot be forgiven; therefore, I want the culprits behind the bars immediately,” he told the Additional IGP Karachi on the telephone.
Additional IGP Karachi Javed Odho told the chief minister that the 10-year-girl and her six younger brothers and sisters were living with her mother in the vicinity of the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. Originally, the family belongs to the Shikarpur district.
On Sunday noon, two boys at around 11am forcibly took her in their car and raped her, and then left her in the same vicinity at around 2.30pm. When her mother noticed her daughter’s plight, she rushed to JPMC where she was still under treatment.
The matter came to the knowledge of the SSP South who registered an FIR at Boat Basin police station and started an investigation into the matter, the CM was told. The Additional IGP Karachi has constituted a police party to arrest the culprits and bring them to book.
The chief minister directed Additional IG Karachi to check the area’s CCTV footage, identify their vehicle, and persons, and arrest them. He also directed him to identify the culprits through DNA.
Meanwhile, the chief Minister directed Minister Women Development Department Shahla Raza to take the entire family into protective care. The family has been kept at a women police station.
Separately, Sindh chief minister and Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastagir in their meeting at CM House discussed the restoration of Khairpur Nathan Shah Grid Station inundated during the recent heavy downpour and floods.
The chief minister said, “The Khairpur Nathan Shah has completely flooded; therefore, the grid station also came under water. Now, water has started draining in natural gravity, but the low-lying pockets could only be cleared through pumping machines.”
Mr Shah said that since the grid station has ceased to function; therefore, pumping station and machines could not be provided electricity.
The federal minister said he has come to resolve the issue. He added that he held a meeting with the HESCO authorities and directed them to make the grid station functional within five days.
Murad Ali Shah said that the winter has started in rural areas. “Stagnation of water is not only causing problems for the people of the area but breaking out diseases,” he said, and added he was trying clear the flooded areas by the end of this month. The meeting was attended by Provincial Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh.