Protection to be provided to Aasiya

KARACHI,January 15,2005:Faisal Malik, Health Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister has reaffirmed that all protection and support will be provided to Aasiya, a 15-year-old maid subjected to extreme torture following molestation in city only a few days back.

The adviser talking to the family members of Aasiya here on Saturday also warned that no attempt will be tolerated to prevail upon or scare away or even to bribe the relatives of the victims pertaining to poorest of the segments of country from a remote and rural part of the country.

He also assured the family members of Aasiya that all protection would be provided to them against influential ostensibly attempting to get the statements of victim changed so that perpetrators of crime may avoid severest punishment.

Assuring that necessary security would be provided to them, he while advising them not to back track from their stance based on truth also appealed to the media to realise its responsibility and must not publish reports or show material which may be baseless or may affect the truth.
Source: The News
Date:1/16/2005

FSC upholds conviction in rape case

KARACHI,January 15,2005: A full bench of the Federal Shariat Court, comprising Chief Justice Chudhary Ejaz Yousuf, Justice Dr. Fida Mohammad Khan and Justice S.A Rabbani, dismissed an appeal of two boys in a rape case , but modified their rigorous imprisonment into simple jail term.

Aqeel Ahmed, 15, and Shakeel Ahmed, 13, were sentenced to five years rigorous jail term by the Additional District and Session Court Shikarpur on May 29. They were prosecuted on charge of committing rape with a minor girl, Sambreena, 9, on June 14, 2001, in limits of Lakhi gate police station Shikarpur.

The court, after hearing arguments of counsel, held that trial court rightly convicted the appellants in the said case and maintained their sentence but modified their rigorous imprisonment into simple jail term. Complainant’s side was represented by Maula Bux Bhatti, advocate, AAG Arshad Lodhi for state while Fareed Dayo appeared for the appellants.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/16/2005

PFUJ regrets APNS statement

KARACHI, January 15,2005: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has urged the prime minister to advice newspaper owners to act rationally and implement the 7th Wage Board award.

Reacting to the statement of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) published on Saturday, PFUJ president Ahfazur Rahman regretted that the APNS was trying to exert pressure on the chairman of the Implementation Tribunal.

The PFUJ president, in a statement issued here on Saturday, said that though the newspaper owners were legally bound by the wage board decision, they were bent upon using delaying tactics despite repeated resolutions passed by the national and four provincial assemblies.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/16/2005