Islamabad: Asif Ali Zardari has traditionally greeted Sikh pilgrims, Hindus and other minorities on the occasion of Christmas, Holi and now Baisakh
Lahore: January 27, 2010. (PCP) The murder of 12-year old Christian girl Shazia on the last Friday, working as a housemaid in the house of one Chaudhry Naeem (advocate & a former president of the Lahore Bar Association) has been strongly condemned by all Christians and Human Rights Organizations including Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) .It is, indeed, something that we must all condemn.
But it is also something that should shame all of Pakistanis. We certainly stand shamed today.
Certainly, the brutality of this murder and the inhumanity of the treatment that this child had reportedly received is NOT something common. The circumstances here were “cruel” as well as “unusual.” However, the mistreatment of domestic help, including little children and the elderly is not at all unusual; even if the cruelty is.
What happened here is indeed an aberration, but the circumstances that led to it - i.e., children working as domestic servants, the mistreatment of domestic help, and the total lack of rights for such help - is not just common but sanctioned by all of us. In some cases directly; in others by consent through silence and by toleration. No one in Pakistan can claim to be ’surprised’ by the fact that domestic help, especially the most vulnerable amongst them, are subjected to mistreatment. In this case the abuse was physical, sexual and ultimately fatal. In other cases - maybe too many - it is sexual. Often it is verbal. But even if those cases it can be demeaning and destructive to the humanity of those being abused.
This incident deserves condemnation. But it also deserves introspection.
More developments continue as one writes, and will no doubt continue to come in, but the essential elements of the story are outlined in this news item in yesterday’s news papers :
Police said on Sunday they had arrested Advocate Chaudhry Naeem, the main accused in the case of murder of a 12-year-old maid, and five others. “We have arrested Advocate Naeem and three members of his family on charge of murdering their maid,” SSP Operations Chaudhry Shafiq told to HRFP but actually he is not poisoned and not was present in the court after the funeral of Shazia. He said that Amanat and his wife had also been taken into custody for getting Shazia employed at Chaudhry Naeem’s house in the city’s Defence locality. He said that Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif had taken suo motu of the incident and directed the police to produce the accused before him on Monday.We hope so but still there is no improvements ,the HRFP’s volunteers said to media today .
A police official said that the girl had been subjected to severe physical torture. But she was sexually assaulted too. Chaudhry Naeem, a former president of the Lahore Bar Association, his son Yasir, a sister-in-law and a daughter-in-law have been nominated in the FIR bu the struggle of HRFP , Church and Christian leaders . Amanat and his wife have been booked for providing the maid to Chaudhry Naeem. According to sources, she used to be severely beaten even for petty lapses.
Naveed Walter ,President Human Rights Focus Pakistan talked to media in presence of Shazia’s mother ,father and family at their home after the funeral of shazia . He demanded to government for the satisfaction of Shazia’s family and make a rule for Child protection especially the Christian’s girls and children who some usually rapped ,tortured and murdered.
He appealed to people to help the shazia’s family financially as they are poor of the poorest. Naveed requested to organizations and individuals to help the Shazia’s family to pursue the case.
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"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti
On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.







