8-year-old Afghan girl raped in Islamabad: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 2 (ANI): A street criminal allegedly raped a minor Afghan girl in broad daylight and managed to flee in the presence of people in the Shahzad Town Police Station in Islamabad, local media reported.

According to Pakistan daily, The News International, the 8-year-old was taken to a hospital, where a medico-legal expert confirmed the rape.
On the basis of a complaint from the minor girl’s father, the Shahzad Town police in Islamabad launched a case against the unnamed rapist under sections 376 and 377/B of the Pakistan Penal Code, but they were unable to find the rapist until the submission of this report.

The complainant, an Afghan national, hailing from Jalalabad had lodged a complaint with the Shahzad Town police stating that he had been living in Mohallah Diptian, located near Mariam Masjid with his family for the past couple of months.

“I was present at my house along with my elder brother when we heard some noises from the street, we rushed out of the house and witnessed a young man running towards us, consequently, without knowing the reason for his escape, we both tried to intercept him but he succeeded to let loose from our clutches and ran off from our custody,” the complainant narrating his story, said and added, however, we moved towards the place where people of the street were gathered and saw my minor daughter crying, The News International reported.

In response to a question, the young victim described the vicious attack to the perpetrator, claiming that while she was playing close to her home when the perpetrator dragged her into an unfinished house and brutally raped her, according to The News International.

According to the publication, police have rounded up a few suspects for investigation.

In 2021, 5,200 rapes were reported in Pakistan, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). The conviction rate in rape cases is less than 3 per cent, the activist organisation, War Against Rape says, Nikkei Asia reported.