Lately, I came across an astonishing report published by Asian Human Rights Commissions, it says “Ms. Zarina Marri, a 23-year-old schoolteacher from Balochistan province, was arrested in late 2005, and has been held incommunicado in an army torture cell at Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. She has been repeatedly raped by the military officers and is being used as a sex slave, to induce arrested nationalist activists to sign state-concocted confessions”
Today’s Dawn also shares the same report on second page, along with a picture of protest, demanding the release of innocent girl.
Again in the evening, Supreme Court Bar Association function, many speakers also protested the sexual abuse of innocent Baloch girl. Aetizaz Ahsan also protested the way daughter of Baluchistan sexually abused.
I hope sanity prevails and dignity and sanctity of human being respected by civilized Pakistani society.
History tells us such acts always weaken the state, nation building requires open heart; respect for all, equity is the strength rather than brutal sexual torture of innocent girl.
4 comments:
Recently a lot has been written on an innocent woman being tortured and kept as a sex slave in the torture cells of Pakistan Army. A fairy tale legend “Zarina Marri” emerging out of the propaganda campaign being sponsored by RAW and few Pakistani brethren who are mistaken that they are somehow serving the cause of Balochi people.
• The tale of Mr Munir Mengal’s arrest and torture by Military Intelligence/ Army had been reported by media during his detention in 2006/07/08. However, re-emergence of said issue after a lapse of 10 months of his release from prison, at the time when Pakistan is already a target of Indian propaganda campaign (on acct of 26/11), is astonishing/ intriguing. Mr Munir Mengal has added spice to his tale alleging that a Baloch woman was offered as sex slave for reasons best known to him. The concocted story has attracted the attention of international media and human rights activists as expected. The whole affair appears to be a malicious campaign to malign the image of Pakistan and its Army/ intelligence agencies in particular.
• Allegation of using Zarina Marri as sex slave was first published by RSF web site on 11 Dec 2008. Same news was published on AHRC website on 12 Jan 2009. Subsequently various newspapers published the news each time with additional allegations without mentioning any source or credible evidence.
• Mr. Munir Mengal at present is apparently in France from where he is uploading articles on a free Web News Portal “NowPublic.com”. According to the website details, he is member of the said portal since Dec 2008 and has posted 4 venomous articles only after 3 Jan 2009 on various issues aimed at maligning Pakistan and Pakistan Army.
• Dr Shazia’s case which sparked the insurgency and counter military operation, occurred on 5/6 Jan 2006. Arrest of a school teacher by Law Enforcement Agencies prior to militancy and Operations by Law Enforcement Agencies is least likely.
DICHOTOMIES / QUESTIONS ARISING FROM THE STORY
• The sole source of information is Munir Mengal. No correspondent/ agency have bothered to counter check the details from other sources. The name of RSF’s reporter who claimed to have conducted an interview has not been revealed.
• The record of visitors of Khuzdar Jail does not have any entry to the effect that any ICRC representative met Mr Munir Mengal. Though a team of ICRC was granted permission to visit Khuzdar/ Mach and Loralai Jails from 30 Jul to 11 Aug 07, no record exist about the said visit to Khuzdar Jail. However, the record of Mach Jail contains entry of Mr Andrew’s visit which is irrelevant.
• According to the RSF report she is referred as a 23 years old school teacher from Kohlu, arrested by Law Enforcement Agencies in late 2005 and shifted to Karachi for use as sex slave by some Military Intelligence setup. Whereas as employees record of EDO Education Kohlu, no woman namely Zarina Marri ever existed in the area as school teacher.
• According to local Marri tribesmen in Kohlu, using name of a Marri woman is part of propaganda to humiliate Marri Clan. Some Marris’ are of the opinion the issue has been raised as a conspiracy to create unrest and insurgency in relatively calm and peaceful Marri areas and derail reconciliation process with Khair Buksh Marri.
• If at all she was arrested by FC or some intelligence agency, why she was shifted to Karachi for alleged use as sex slave? It is not only illogical but absurd as well.
• Mr. Munir Mengal has also made contradictory statements regarding his encounter with Zarina Marri:-
o He initially claims that the girl was thrown naked in the cell.
o Later (after few sentences) he states that when the Subedar returned and found them sitting apart, he torn their clothes.
• Marri Itehad has not conceded to Zarina Marri’s conspiracy and has announced that it is trying to find out the credentials of the said woman and her parents.
• On 4th Aug 07, he was handed over to Khuzdar Police. Very next day, representatives of ICRC visited Khuzdar Jail and investigated the torture inflicted on Munir Mengal which is a surprising coincidence. ICRC representative Andrew Bartles-Smith’s credentials are also doubtful. He is a UK national settled in Nepal.
• He was detained in Khuzdar Jail for just eleven days. During this short time, he claims to have been visited several times by human rights activists while nobody met him in Quetta jail for almost six months.
• The initial news regarding detention and ill treatment of Mr. Munir Mengal was broken by RSF on 11 Dec 2008. The Daily Times broke the news in Pakistan with its edition edited on 11 Dec and published on 12 Dec i.e. with in few hours.
• The exaggerated version of said report was re-published by AHRC with a gap of 32 days on the AHRC website on 12 Jan 2009 without indicating any source for additional details. This dichotomy was also pointed out by Asma Jehangir ‘Chair Person HRCP’.
• Mr. Munir Mengal never had any article to his credit till 3 Jan 2009; to accredit him as a journalists’ status. However; since that date he has written 4 articles within two weeks, which may not be easy to digest and points to sponsorship. More so the spectrum and range of issues discussed in the articles is also pro Indian.
• The inclusion of following subsidiary themes in four articles attributed to Munir Mengal on the website “nowpublic.com” appearing after 3 Jan have strange similarity with Indian propaganda campaign against Pakistan. These propaganda themes are, ‘Islamic fundamentalism/ extremism’, Pak support for Taliban/ Al-Qaida, ‘Pak nuclear bomb threat to Christian and Jewish world’ and Anti Hindu sentiment.
• These coincidences suggest possible Indian involvement in propagating this issue ----
o The emergence of this scandal with in two weeks of Mumbai blast amidst threats from Indian leaders.
o Daily times which broke the news simultaneously along with RSF is well known for Indian sponsorship.
o AHRC which has taken up the issue has dubious credentials (leaning) and same has been alleged by HRCP’s Asma Jehangir.
o The similarity of views of Munir Mengal and Indian Propaganda Campaign.
• The activities of Mr. Andrew Bartles-Smith the much mentioned ICRC representative who allegedly visited Munir Mengal several times have neither been confirmed/ refuted by ICRC. Also, ICRC news and reports on the web do not have any mention of the said visits or disclosures.
• The credentials of RSF are also questionable as the site has never raised allegations against Indians in such a blunt manner in case of mishandling/ detention/ missing journalists e.g. Rehmat Ullah Indian Occupied Kashmir (published Daily Rehmat) and Maqbool Sahil are such cases in pt.
• The credibility of AHRC reports on Pakistan is also doubtful as three out of its ten members of advisory board are Indians, while one of the directors is also Indian with few others having Indian origin/ Hindus. Amongst the Indians Mr. B. R. P. Bhasker: Reputed Journalist and a Trustee of Vigil India Movement, India is of dubious credentials and suspected to have initiated/ sponsored said story on AHRC forum.
• The picture of Zarina Marri, uploaded on www.Gwank.org is also fake. The picture very clearly bears the name “Arash Khan” which is duly marked on the picture. It is suspected that the picture has been retrieved from some other site and subsequently uploaded as Zarina Marri.
• Why the initial Missing list of Marri ladies at “Baloch Voice” website never bore Zarina Marri’s name. However, in the recently updated list of 872 missing Balochis, three ladies ref at serial 74, 75 and 76 bear Shah Gul as father whereas their family names are different i.e Alia Khan, Maria Shah, and Zarina Marri. Surprisingly other two sisters of Zarina Marri are missing since 10 Oct 2006, whereas Zarina Marri is missing since 10 Oct 2005 i.e a yr prior, exactly on the same date, which clearly speaks of fabrications and falsehood of the concocted tale.
wow. I am impressed by the research you have done on this case. Really impressive. Surprisingly no comments on this post since 2009.
You know Pakistan was born out of fabricaton and manipulation and so it is not difficult to make one person especially a lady disappear... Read the below link and you week be slapped on your face for the lies you have spouted.. Long live baluchistan!!!!
http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2009/04/in-search-of-zarina-marri/
You know Pakistan was born out of fabricaton and manipulation and so it is not difficult to make one person especially a lady disappear... Read the below link and you week be slapped on your face for the lies you have spouted.. Long live baluchistan!!!!
http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2009/04/in-search-of-zarina-marri/
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