There was a huge uproar in the political and judicial circles of Pakistan when a sessions court in Lahore took a tough stance and framed formal charges in the sensational case of brutal gang rape of two foreign women. A charge sheet has been framed under serious sections against a total of eight accused named in this heinous case, in which the name of Raza Dar, grandson of Pakistan's current Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, figures prominently. Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal, hearing the case, framed charges against all the accused and fixed December 9 for the commencement of formal trial in this high-profile case. During the hearing in the Lahore court, all the eight accused were brought from judicial custody amid heavy security arrangements and presented before the court. When the judge read out the serious charges of gangrape, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy leveled by the prosecution, Raza Dar and his other co-accused flatly denied the charges, declaring themselves innocent. After this, Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal, taking the legal process forward, gave clear instructions to the prosecution to present their main witnesses and necessary evidence before the court on December 9, so that the process of regular testimony and cross-examination of the case could be started. Suspicious role of Punjab Police exposed: The script of cover-up was hatched to save the influential family. This entire case has also exposed the poor law and order situation of Pakistan at the international level, because serious questions were being raised on the working style of Punjab Police from the very beginning. The shocking truth had come to light from the court records and investigation reports submitted earlier that due to political pressure and influence, the Punjab Police had hatched a complete conspiracy to give a clean chit to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar's grandson Raza Dar and his four rich friends. In their preliminary investigation report, the police officers had made every possible effort to exclude the names of the main influential accused from the case. The limit was reached when the police, in its report filed in the court, proved Raza Dar and his elite friends completely innocent and put the entire blame on three very low paid domestic workers working in the Dar family. The police claimed that the rape of the foreign women was done by these employees and not by Raza Dar and his associates. However, the court completely rejected this fabricated and biased police report and passed a historic order framing formal charges under sections of gang rape against all the eight accused, including Raza Dar, on the basis of available primary evidence, medical reports and call detail records. Women from Netherlands and Venezuela had come to Lahore on a business trip: The crime was carried out after kidnapping. Both the victims of this inhuman incident had reached the cultural city of Pakistan Lahore in the month of June this year in connection with an international business trip. One of these women is a citizen of the European country Netherlands, while the other woman is a resident of the Latin American country Venezuela. After reaching Lahore, these foreign guests were deceived as part of a well-planned conspiracy. According to the complaint, the main accused Raza Dar and his four influential associates forcibly abducted both the women and held them hostage at an isolated private farmhouse. While being held hostage, both these foreign women were brutally gang-raped one by one for several hours. After the incident, when both the victims somehow escaped from the clutches of the accused, they immediately lodged a complaint with the police. After this, detailed forensic and medical examination of both the foreign nationals was conducted in the local government hospital. The final forensic report of the medical examination gave 100% official confirmation of forced sexual intercourse and serious injuries (gang rape) of both the women. Subsequently, after recording their formal statement under the Code of Criminal Procedure before the Magistrate, both the women immediately left for their respective countries, sensing serious threat to their lives. The presentation of witnesses will start from December 9: Will the scales of international justice be able to stand before political influence? After the court has framed the charges, now all eyes are on the main hearing starting from December 9. Being related to foreign women, this matter is not limited to the domestic law of Pakistan only, but Netherlands and international human rights organizations are also keeping a close watch on this entire court incident. Legal experts believe that since the victim women have left the country, the prosecution will have to make special preparations to record their testimony through video conferencing or present their evidence through the embassy. The opposition and civil society organizations have slammed the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Home Ministry over this issue. Human rights activists say that when the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister's own family member has become a direct accused in such a heinous crime, it is the moral responsibility of the state to ensure a fair investigation and a transparent judicial process. The move by the Lahore court to frame charges bypassing the clean chit given by the police proves that the judiciary has taken this case very seriously. Now it remains to be seen to what extent the court is able to provide quick and fair justice to the victims amidst the pressure of power when the prosecution witnesses will stand in the dock on December 9.
