CJP takes notice of woman trafficking case in Rawalpindi

ISLAMABAD: The chief justice of Pakistan has taken notice of the case of a woman, a resident of Rawalpindi, who was trafficked after being abducted.

CJP Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has sought a report on the case from the inspector general of police in Islamabad and the Punjab government within three days.   

The issue was taken up after the case was mentioned in a recently published article of The News titled 'Women trafficking in twin cities goes unchecked' and in Daily Jang titled 'Sub goongay kiyoon hogaye'.

The articles mention the case of a 40-year-old woman, mother of three children and resident of Rawalpindi, who was sold to different people, eventually reaching Afghanistan, after she was abducted.

The abductors demanded Rs300,000 to return her, while the police said they could not do anything to expedite the pace of progress in the case.

The story added a large number of women were sold from Pakistan by an organised gang of 150 members who arrange fake marriages of these women.

Published on January 1, the story stated that FIR of the case was registered at Airport Police Station in Rawalpindi, but the filing of the case has so far gone in vain as police have been using delaying tactics.

The woman's husband reported receiving a phone call from a man in Afghanistan who asked him for Rs300,000 to release his wife. He said he would otherwise sell the woman to someone else.

Being a daily wager, the husband said he could barely feed his children with his earning how would he pay such a huge amount for the release of his wife. According to her husband, the woman told him she was sold to an aged person in marriage, but when she told him she was married and had kids, he returned her to the agent, taking his money back.

According to her husband, the woman told him she was sold to an aged person in marriage, but when she told him she was married and had kids, he returned her to the agent, taking his money back. When contacted, the agent told The News she came to him on her own will as he had paid her husband Rs50,000.  

When contacted, the agent told The News she came to him on her own will as he had paid her husband Rs50,000.  Moreover, the story read that Khanna Pul, Fauji Colony, Chuhar, Kohinoor Mills area in Rawalpindi city are the hub of this gang.

Moreover, the story read that Khanna Pul, Fauji Colony, Chuhar, Kohinoor Mills area in Rawalpindi city are the hub of this gang. 

They apparently work under the guise of matchmakers by tracking families from low-income backgrounds, promising them to get their daughters married and offering a handsome amount as well. Once the parents agree, they sell the women either in Afghanistan or within the country. The gang members have sold many Pakistani girls in Afghanistan or Afghan girls in Pakistan, by solemnising phone nikkah by a registrar, usually the prayer leader of a mosque, on a commission of Rs5,000 per nikkah. 

An older adult woman, residing in Swabi, runs the gang’s activities in Afghanistan. She takes the women with her to Jalalabad and sells them to Afghan agents. The gang keeps on changing their houses so as not be traced by anyone, one of the gang members told The News.