ISLAMABAD: A woman traveling on a Karachi-bound private train was gang-raped in running train by no other than the ticket-checkers of the train. Female passenger boarded the train after meeting her children in Muzaffargarh to reach Karachi.
The victim boarded Bahauddin Zakaria Express (a train running in private sector) from Muzaffargarh on May 27 to reach Karachi via Multan. She alleged that two ticket checkers and in-charge forced themselves upon her and raped her.
The resident of Orangi Town of Karachi has filed a complaint about the incident with the Karachi police on May 29.
In the first information report (FIR), the victim said she got married to Shakeel and had two children, however, she was divorced nearly seven months ago. After the divorce, she said her ex-husband also took away both children.
She told the police that she boarded the train from Karachi and reached Muzaffargarh on May 26 to meet her children. A day later, she boarded a private Karachi-bound train from Muzaffargarh in which she was gang-raped by the in-charge and two ticker-checkers when the train was between Rohri and Hyderabad railway stations.
The police said they have registered a case against the suspects under sections 376 and 34 (rape and common intention) while medical examination of the victim has also been completed at Jinnah Hospital in Karachi.
The police officials said they were waiting for the outcome of the medical report, adding that the police team would travel to Multan if the report validates the charges.
Rape in Pakistan
Pakistan’s law declared rape a punishable offence. The definition and punishment for this crime are detailed under Sections 375 and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the law, a man commits rape when he has sexual intercourse with a woman under the following circumstances:
- Against her will
- Without her consent
- With her consent, when the consent has been obtained by putting her in fear of death or of hurt
- With her consent, when the man knows that he is not married to her and that the consent is given because she believes that the man is another person to whom she is or believes herself to be married; or
- With or without her consent when she is under 16 years of age.
The convicted rapists will be sentenced to jail for no less than 10 years or more than 25 years, according to the law. A fine will also be imposed on them.
