 A tribal jirga in Sindh has decided to kill a woman doctor who was allegedly gang raped in Sui to restore the "lost honour" of her tribe, a Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) official told a press conference on Wednesday.
| Really, I think it's not connected with religion or culture or something like that. I think it's a function of marrying close relatives for generation after generation. |
PMA President Dr Umer Ayub said the husband and in-laws of the doctor had told him of the jirga or local council's decision in Gumbat Khairpur. He demanded the members of the jirga be arrested, and the alleged rapists of the doctor be hanged at Minar-e-Pakistan to deter such crimes. He criticised the federal interior minister for not visiting the woman doctor and her family. He also slammed the NWFP Assembly for not condemning the alleged rape. Ayub said a tribunal formed by the Balochistan government to investigate the incident should be given a one-month deadline. "It has been 24 days since the incident and not one of the accused has appeared before the tribunal. The culprits should appear before the tribunal and not on television," he said. Ayub said the woman doctor had given her statement to the tribunal a couple of days ago, naming her alleged attackers and outlining the incident in detail. He said DNA tests should be used to identify the culprits. He said the PMA central council would meet on February 13 to discuss its future line. |