RAPE VICTIM PORTRAYED BY NY TIMES FACES CORRUPT POLICE AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000155

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KCOR PK
SUBJECT: RAPE VICTIM PORTRAYED BY NY TIMES FACES CORRUPT POLICE AND
POLITICIANS


1. (SBU) Summary: Police in Khanewal district in south Punjab
have refused to arrest the rapists and police whom New York
Times subject Assiya Rafiq has accused of rape, women's rights
activist Mukhtar Mai told Acting Principal Officer July 28.
According to the July 26 article by Nicholas Kristof, two locals
abducted Rafiq for approximately eight months, during which they
repeatedly raped her. The locals handed her to the police, who
detained and raped her for 14 days, until a local court ordered
an investigation June 19 and released her. The Mukhtar Mai
Women's Welfare Organization (MMWWO) has arranged shelter and
legal representation for her and her family, MMWWO manager
Samson Salamat detailed. FSNoff contacted Khanewal district
nazim Ahmad Yar Hiraj, who pledged to look into the case. A/PO
related the case to Member of the Provincial Assembly Hamza
Sharif, who recorded the details and promised to "fix" the
situation. End Summary.

- - -
Assiya Rafiq Abducted and Raped
- - -


2. (SBU) Nicholas Kristof's July 26 New York Times article
titled "Not A Victim, But a Hero" details the travails of
17-year-old Assiya Rafiq, who has accused four policemen and two
well-connected locals in Kabirwala town in Khanewal district in
south Punjab of abduction and rape. Interviewed while in the
Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization (MMWWO) shelter in
Muzzaffargarh district, Rafiq told Kristof that two men abducted
her, raped her repeatedly for nearly a year, and handed her in
early June 2009 to the local police, who then raped her during a
two-week detention. Although MMWWO-funded attorneys have filed
charges against the accused, Kristof notes that police have
refused to act while her family faces increasing threats.
[Note: The Department provided a USD 65,000 grant for MMWWO
shelter and resource center in 2009 and USD 130,000 in 2008.
End Note.]


3. (SBU) In a July 28 meeting with Acting Principal Officer,
Mukhtar Mai and MMWWO managers Samson Salamat and Naseem Lal
stressed that the police have refused to apprehend the accused
because of political pressure from former Minister of State for
Parliamentary Affairs Raza Hayat Hiraj of the Hiraj clan, whose
kin, Qaswar Hiraj, she has named as one of the two abductors.
Kabirwala Civil Hospital had also refused to conduct a medical
check, which prompted Rafiq to go to the District Headquarters
Hospital, Salamat detailed. While Rafiq's First Information
Report (FIR) lanquishes in the police station, the Hiraj family
filed counter-charges against Rafiq's family, including her
near-paralyzed father, Salamat noted. Salamat pointed out that
the lodging of Rafiq's nine-person family in the shelter, the
hiring of two lawyers, and the three-hour commutes to Kabirwala
has drained MMWWO's resources. [Note: Kristof advises readers
to donate to MMWWO through Mercy Fund at www.mercycorps.org.
End Note.]

- - -
Nazim Hiraj Unaware of Case
- - -


4. (SBU) In a telcon with FSNoff, Khanewal district nazim Ahmad
Yar Hiraj claimed that he did not know about the case. Told
that Rafiq has named Qaswar Hiraj as one of the perpetrators,
Ahmad Yar replied, "well, he's a criminal." However, he doubted
that former Minister Raza Hayat Hiraj had pressured local
authorities since, Ahmad Yar claimed, he has fallen ill for
several months overseas. Ahmad Yar promised to look into the
case and report back.

- - -
Hamza Sharif Wants Justice Done
- - -


5. (SBU) Informed by A/PO of Kristof's article, son of the Chief
Minister and Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Hamza
Sharif wrote down the details of Rafiq's case during a July 28
meeting. He lamented that such breakdowns in law-and-order have
occurred, and conveyed his father's pledge to correct the
unequal treatment of women in Punjab. He bemoaned the immunity
that police enjoyed, and said that he would follow up with the
local authorities. "We must fix this situation," he asserted.

- - -
Comment: Crime Shows Societal Breakdown in Khanewal

LAHORE 00000155 002 OF 002


- - -


6. (SBU) One of the south Punjab districts targeted by USAID,
Khanewal has a legacy of abuse that has led to the rise of
militancy in the region. The extreme poverty in Khanewal and
the impunity enjoyed by local politicians and police have
created a toxic combination. The development assistance planned
for the district will have little impact if incidents such as
Rafiq's continue to recur. In his report of the tragedy,
Kristof editorializes that the U.S. has "stood aloof from the
ubiquitous injustices in Pakistan," which has produced
"cynicism" among the population about U.S. intentions.
Reinforcement of the social and law enforcement structure that
could prevent such horrible crimes from occurring, and quickly
prosecuting injustice when it occurs, could help counter the
rise of extremism and promote U.S. values as much as development
assistance.
LOWE