ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to pursue the couple harassment and sexual assault case after the female victim retracted her statement against the prime suspect Usman Mirza and refused to identify him.
The decision was reached during a meeting presided over by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Dr Farogh Naseem. Parliamentary Secretary Law Maleeka Bokhari and the Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) attended the meeting.
According to sources, there is incriminating evidence available against the accused including video of the incident. It has been decided that the perpetrators should be punished as per the law.
Ms Bokhari tweeted, “The State will pursue prosecution in the Usman Mirza case irrespective of recent developments relating to victim’s testimony. Irrefutable video & forensic evidence on record- anyone harrassing & stripping a woman must face full force of the law.”
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that Usman Mirza, GT Road rape and Shahrukh Jatoi cases were big challenges for the judicial system.
In a tweet, he questioned why proceedings of these cases could not be held on day to day basis and why they were treated as ordinary cases ?. Fawad said that the prosecution and the courts should fulfill their responsibility in this regard. The minister said it was the duty of the state to take these cases to a logical conclusion.
On Tuesday, the female victim in the Islamabad couple harassment case retracted her statement and told the trial court that she didn’t want to pursue the case.
The woman appeared before the court and refused to identify the suspects including prime accused Usman Mirza. During cross-examination, she told the judge that she did not know the accused and did not want to pursue the case.
In July last year, a video of a man sexually harassing and torturing a couple went viral on social media, causing widespread outrage. The Islamabad police sprand into action and arrested the prime suspect, Usman Mirza, and his accomplices.
