ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jillani took notice Friday of an incident in which a panchayat ordered the gang-rape of a woman in Ihsanpur’s Basti Radiwala.
Chief Justice Jillani moreover sought a report on the incident in the Muzaffargarh district from the Inspector General of Punjab Police on Feb 4.
The episode had taken place on Jan 24. A panchayat had ordered the gang-rape of a 40-year-old woman after her brother was allegedly caught with a woman of the village.
However, a doctor who conducted the medical examination victim later, told Dawn that the woman “was not raped”, apparently following a definition which requires something ‘more grievous’ than stripping and physical assault for it to be called ‘rape’.
Seven suspects were arrested by the police out of the nine accused in the case.
The incident had brought back memories of the Mukhtar Mai gang-rape order passed and carried out in the same Muzaffargarh district in the year 2002.
Mai, a women rights activist, has demanded a high-level inquiry into the recent incident.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had also strongly condemned the incident and had called for a high-level inquiry.