[Current Affairs] September 14,2020 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

What’s going on? Two robbers allegedly raped a woman in her early 30s at gunpoint on the motorway last week.

The details: Her car ran out of fuel while she was travelling from Lahore to Gujranwala with her children. A relative in Gujranwala told her to call the police helpline, and was on his way to help. However, before the relative reached her, two armed men took her and her children to a nearby field at gunpoint and gang-raped her. The robbers also snatched her cash, jewellery and other valuables.

Where were the police? As for the helpline, police claim she hadn’t called by the time the armed men showed up. However, according to Al Jazeera, she phoned the police for help, but the two armed men got to her first.

Tell me more: Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) in Lahore, Muhammad Umar Sheikh, suggested that her own actions got her into trouble. He questioned why she left the house late at night, drove alone with her kids, didn’t check the petrol in her car, and didn’t take a route called GT road that is more populated. He also said the woman, who is a French citizen, thought she was in France and not Pakistan where society is different.

Public outrage: Over the weekend, Aurat March (i.e. women’s march) organized protests across Pakistan. Protesters accused CCPO Sheikh of victim-blaming and demanded his removal. They also demanded justice, accountability, safety for women, and structural reform to end patriarchal violence.

Looking ahead: Police identified two suspects, and arrested one of them. The arrested suspect, Waqarul Hassan, denied his involvement in the rape case. He reportedly turned himself in to plead his innocence. However, police are saying he did not surrender and was actually arrested. The police used mobile phone records to track him, but Hassan claimed the SIM card registered under his name belongs to his brother-in-law, Abbas. Police used DNA tracing and evidence from the crime scene to identify the other suspect, Abid Ali. Ali was reportedly involved in a similar case registered a few years ago. Ali’s phone records reportedly led police to Hassan.

The bottom line: International rights organizations claim that Pakistan has not done enough to reduce violence against women, especially when it comes to holding perpetrators accountable.