KARACHI: Provincial Minister for Women’s Development Sindh Syeda Shehla Raza has said that according to the postmortem report of Qaratul Ain Baloch and the statements of her children, initially this murder was an incident of domestic violence whereas it didnot matter how powerful was anyone but not above the law.
“We will provide full legal assistance to the family of the victim so that the killer can be brought to justice and given a dreadful punishment,” she said while talking to media persons in Qasimabad and condolences to the family of slain Qaratul Ain Baloch who was allegedly killed by her husband in Barrage Colony area of Hyderabad.
She said that initially it was found out that the victim’s husband had been torturing her for a long time and even threatened to snatch the children if she told anyone and that was the reason, the victim was afraid of snatching her children.
Till then she had been silently enduring her husband’s violence and for this reason she had not lodged a complaint against him. She said that the officers and staff of the Women’s Development Department are always here to help women but sometimes complaints of domestic violence are taken as a personal matter.
Shehla said that there was complain centers for women’s issues in Hyderabad where they could register their problems and seek legal help. She said that even the police should not consider such incidents of domestic violence as a domestic dispute because where there is violence against women, the police should take action against it.
In this regard, the Sindh Provincial Assembly has also enacted legislation regarding women protection. Such incidents are also a moment of reflection for those who are against women’s rights legislation. In response to a question, she said that the government is not afraid of such oppressors and if anyone thinks that he is powerful and above justice, then we are determined that we will continue to bring justice to the affected family. “I would like to convey the message to the women of Sindh province that the incidents of domestic violence should be registered in the complaint centers of the women’s development department in a timely manner so that timely action can be taken against such beasts and such incidents do not occur in the society,” she said.
Replying to another question, she said that DIGs of all divisions of Sindh province should extend full cooperation to the Women Development Department in cases of domestic violence and other similar incidents where injustice has been done to women. Earlier, Shehla Raza, the provincial minister for women’s development, offered condolences to the family of slain Qaratul Ain Baloch, who was killed by her husband’s alleged violence, and assured them that the Sindh government and the women’s development department would use all their resources to help the affected family. We will play our full role in bringing justice.
On the occasion, the victim’s family presented their demands to the provincial minister regarding the case in which they said that Siraj Lashari should be appointed as the investigating officer in the case and terrorism provisions should also be included in the FIR. The provincial minister assured all possible cooperation to the family of the deceased. Director Women Development Ashiq Hussain Kalhoro, ASP Alina Rajpar, Women Complaints Cell in-charge Qaratul Ain Shah and others were present on the occasion.