Kashana scandal: Former incharge accuses Imran Khan’s govt of sexual exploitation

The scandal related to sexual harassment and abuse in Kashana Welfare Home, an institution for orphaned and destitute girls, came to light during Imran Khan’s regime.

Former Superintendent Afshan Latif has now made startling revelations that the government of former prime minister Imran Khan was patronizing those responsible for the scandal.

She blamed former Punjab minister Ajmal Wazir and Raja Basharat for being involved in the sex racketeering businesses and allegedly that former first lady Bushra Bibi stepped in to save them.

Kashana Welfare Home is a well-known shelter home established in the 1970s for the protection of orphaned and disadvantaged girls. For years, the authorities allowed the abuse and harassment of the girls until Afshan Latif was appointed in-charge and exposed the hideous activities.

The incident came to immediate notice after Afshan Latif took notice of men sneaking into the girls’ rooms in the late hours of the night which was completely against the rules of the shelter home.

Afshan immediately informed the top management which revealed a deep network of patronage and abuse of the girls. The officers said they received orders to arrange ‘marriages’ of the young girls and it was their duty to “decorate” the bedrooms.

A day earlier, Afshan Latif held a press conference and blamed former Punjab minister Ajmal Cheema and the inspection officer of the chief minister team for the scandal.

“Deploying a corrupt inspection team in the presence of the highest courts in the country is a conspiracy against institutions like Kashana,” she said.

“The so-called marriage of orphaned destitute girls was actually a horrible game of sexual harassment in which innocent teenage girls were decorated and handed over to the government officials, drugs were given, obscene films were shown to prepare for the purpose of satisfying their lust.”

On November 29, 2019, the Kashana scandal was exposed before the public. The whistleblower Iqra Kainat was kidnapped on December 16 that year and all her records before the abduction disappeared.

After being kept in police and child protection custody for two months, she was murdered on February 5 and sent to Edhi Mortuary. According to the postmortem report, she was killed by starvation.

Afshan Latif said asked why police are reluctant to file an FIR if then Law Minister Raja Basharat has denied his involvement in the murder. She said the refusal to file an FIR despite clear evidence reveals the presence of powerful and influential oppressors.

Even after killing the main eyewitness, Afshan Latif said there is evidence against Ajmal Cheem in the form of testimonies of other girls. She said the girls were removed from the shelter home and all staff members except the guard were removed.

Ajmal Cheema has claimed that the allegations against him were made after the result of the inquiry on the misappropriation of funds by Afshan Latif.

Afshan Latif first requested help from Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Prime Minister Imran Khan, and DG Rangers on July 12, 2019, to get justice for the oppressed girls. She said that she approached every forum for justice including the Prime Minister’s citizen portal to no avail.

During this time, the bitter reality also came out that human rights organizations blame the poor and weak rather than taking on the rich and influential because they get funding from the oppressors, she added. 

Afshan Latif claimed that the government of Imran Khan, instead of ending the sexual exploitation of young girls, itself become a part of it.

She alleged that former first lady Bushra Bibi was not involved and provincial ministers were also complacent. She said Kiran Imtiaz, the former director general social welfare department, was made removed to hide the evidence against the minister.

“When I filed against application against Karan Imtiaz, Imran Khan’s ministers Raja Basharat and Ajmal Cheema came to the institution to save Karan. When the Kashana scandal came to the media, First Lady Bushra came to save these two ministers,” Latif alleged.

She alleged that she was attacked four times after exposing the ministers. on July 13, 2020, Imran Khan’s ministers Raja Basharat and Ajmal Cheema set fire to my house in the dark of night and attempt to kill my children who were sleeping.