Police performance!

Daily Times, June 16, 2005

Thursday, June 16, 2005
Man torches himself over missing family

LAHORE: A man set himself on fire on Wednesday to protest against what he claimed was the kidnapping of his wife and daughter by policeman Shah Muhammad Langah, witnesses and hospital officials said. Ghulam Asghar (50) poured kerosene over himself and set himself on fire outside the office of the governor of Punjab, after he was not allowed in to register a complaint. He was taken to a hospital in Lahore where his condition was critical. “Eighty percent of his body is burnt,” said a doctor at the Mayo Hospital. Police denied any involvement with Asghar’s missing family. Grievances against the police are common in Pakistan. Last month, President Pervez Musharraf ordered an inquiry into a compliant by a 17-year-old student who was raped by policemen after being rescued from 37 days in captivity during which she was repeatedly raped by a gang of kidnappers. The victim, Nazish, a student of the Government Allama Iqbal Girl College, Sialkot, was kidnapped on January 3 by some car-riders while going to her college. She was taken to a house and kept there for 37 days and she was repeatedly gang-raped. Her woes did not end there. After her recovery by the police, she was allegedly raped all over again - this time by police officials at the police station.But Amnesty International in its report for 2005 said the Pakistan government initiatives to improve protection of rights of women and juveniles had provided only limited relief.Violence against women in the community, including crimes of ‘honour’, continued to be reported, AI said. agencies