In a surprising development, the case involving domestic worker violence takes an intriguing twist as the Special Investigation Unit broadens its scope to include judicial officer.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has extended a summons to Judicial Officer Asim Hafeez, requesting his presence for questioning.
The JIT’s communication, addressed to the Registrar of the Islamabad High Court, seeks Asim Hafeez’s appearance before the investigation team’s officers on August 15.
Previously, the Islamabad District and Sessions Court had rejected the post-arrest bail application of Somia Asim, the main suspect in the Rizwana torture case. Judge Shaista Kundi had reserved the judgment earlier.
The prosecution lawyer told the court that there was no part of the teen domestic worker’s body that was not wounded. The entire nation is concerned over her case.
He added that the torture instrument also has to be recovered from suspect Somia Asim, and objected to her bail application.
The judge remarked that the girl is injured and asked who caused the injuries.
The defence lawyer claimed that the girl used to eat mud, and she consumed the one that had been mixed with fertilizer, which caused an allergy.
However, the girl was handed over to her parents in a healthy condition, the lawyer argued.
The judge asked if there was any proof, and told the lawyer not to say anything he did not have evidence of.
“Give legal reference, and what the law says,” Judge Kundi remarked.
Somia’s lawyer told the court that Section 324 was added to the case after six days.
“There is an allegation of illegal detention of seven months. We don’t know whom the mother was seen talking to on the phone for two and a half hours,” he added.
As per the CCTV footage, the girl’s mother is constantly on the mobile phone for two and a half hours.
The lawyer then requested to provide the medical report of the Sargodha hospital.
Rizwana’s mother told the court the driver also threatened her, so she got immediately scared.
Judge Kundi said she will bring everything on record, and there will only be justice here.
According to Rizwana, she was tortured at 5pm, while she was handed over to her parents at the bus station at 8pm, the defence lawyer said.
There is no medical report for the six hours and 12 minutes, and the injuries were inflicted during that time.
“Who injured the girl?” Judge Kundi asked the lawyer.
The defence lawyer mentioned that nothing has been written in the case report about how old the injuries are. He added that the Sargodha hospital immediately sent her to Lahore.
He said the report of the medical examination conducted at 3 pm in Sargodha is required, as it never came to light.
