Asad Shah
Ten-year-old Fatima was reportedly found dead in suspicious circumstances while working as a domestic helper at a haveli owned by a prominent local.
The girl’s mother apparently received a call from the employer after she passed away advising her to take the body out of the building.
Fatima’s mother said that two of her other daughters were also employed at the haveli, where her daughter was found dead, and that they had carried her daughter’s body there.
Near the village of Khanwah in Naushahro Feroz, the girl’s relatives interred her in their local cemetery.
In response to Shamim Khatoon, Fatima’s mother, filing a complaint, a case has been opened at the Ranipur police station under sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and an investigation has started.
DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani acknowledged that he had assembled a team under the direction of SSP Khairpur district Rohail Khoso to look into the situation and exhume the body to validate the claims of torture.
DSP Counterterrorism Department Sukkur Abdul Qudoos Kalwar and ASP Gambat, Noman Siddiqui are other members of SSP Khoso’s squad.
DIG Jiskani called Dawn from Sukkur and said, “We have applied for exhumation of the body for post-mortem, as the girl has been buried by her parents, apparently out of fear.”
When she was brought to a private hospital on the nights of Aug. 14–15, the girl’s father, Nadeem Ali Phariro, first claimed that the girl had some sort of stomach-related illness, as suggested by doctors.
The girl was released from the hospital and later passed away in her home.
When images of a girl with visible signs of torture went viral, allegations that she was killed as a result of torture came to light. Who released the videos was a mystery. The police team, who also met several local social activists, was able to collect these films.
ایک اور حوا کی بیٹی موت کے گھاٹ اتار دی گئی.
ضلع خیرپورکی تحصیل رانی پور میں 10 سالہ فاطمہ رانی پور کےوائس چیئرمین فیاض شاہ کے داماد اسد شاہ کے گھر میں کام کرتی تھی، کل اسد شاہ نے فاطمہ کے گھر والوں کوکال کرکے بتایا کہ “فاطمہ کچھ دن سے بیمار تھی اور آج فوت ہوگئی #Khairpur pic.twitter.com/exWqytUgIG— ismail Swati (@ismailSwati3) August 16, 2023
The haveli is owned by a family that is known as the Pir of Ranipur in the Khairpur district. The police have arrested Pir Asad Shah, who is the owner of this haveli, according to DIG.
In response to a question, DIG stated, “The parents didn’t initially share the facts with police and buried their daughter on August 15.”
He continued by saying that the girl was rushed to a nearby hospital by the pir or his employees, where the medical professionals diagnosed her with gastroenteritis.
He stated, “The SHO was present in the hospital when she was declared dead.”.
Police became aware of the situation after the films became popular in the area, and DSP Qudoos Kalwar spoke with the girl’s parents. After speaking with social activists and viewing viral footage, the DSP informed the DIG that the situation was critical and ordered that the body be exhumed.
The parents were warned that if they withheld information, police would exhume the body and file a case on their own, according to the DIG.
The mother of the girl was also spoken to by the SSP; she consented to share her tale after being bribed by police. “My daughter broke her arm. She had bruises and other markings on her body that appeared to be from torture, particularly around her neck and tummy.
The SSP stated that if necessary, police would also order a DNA test. The DIG said that if there was any suspicion of rape, the police would also conduct a DNA test to rule out this possibility.
When contacted, Dr. Irshad Memon, the director general of health for Sindh, stated that it seemed like the findings from the doctors on her examination needed to be verified.
In a statement condemning the incident, the Women Action Forum also urged Iqbal Detho, the chair of the Sindh Commission on Status of Women, and staff members of the Child Protection Authority to take notice of similar incidents and the incompetence of the relevant officials.
The Inspector General of Police for Sindh was urged to safeguard the girl’s parents and make sure that a FIR for murder was filed as soon as possible.
