By BosNewsLife Asia Service reporting from Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)– Pakistani authorities are investigating Pakistan Air Force (PAF) police for allegedly torturing a Christian family, including a teenager, who doctors say may remain crippled for the rest of her life, BosNewsLife established Friday, April 30.
Sumera Pervaiz, 14, stumbled to a local court room last week where the girl told a judge that she and her family members Pervaiz Masih, Sana Bibi, Parveen Masih and Kala Masih were mistreated by PAF police for five days on false theft allegations.
“We remained in the custody of those people for many days, who brutally tortured me during their so called interrogation,” she said, according to documents obtained by BosNewsLife.
The girl added that she became unconscious during an interrogation session and later awoke in hospital. “I don’t know who brought me there,” she told the court.
Earlier, a PAF commander, Faheem Cheema, told local police that unidentified thieves took away gold ornaments and other valuable from his home located in a PAF settlement of Islamabad, court documents showed.
FAMILY DETAINED
Soon after, PAF police detained five people including Sumera Pervaiz, who was serving as the commander’s maid. PAF police officers eventually brought four suspects in front of a court, saying the girl was unable to attend because of poor health.
After requests from lawyers, District and Session Judge Mazhar Hussain Barlas allowed the girl to testify. He also warned that he may order regular police to file criminal charges against Commander Cheema and ordered the release of all family members Cheema denied wrongdoing. “I don’t know anything about the illegal detention of the family, neither I asked the police to interrogate them. They did everything on their own,” he said.
As the investigation continued Friday, April 30, Christian rights groups and medics expressed concerns about Sumera Pervaiz’s future, who they said, “is barely able to walk and might not be able to walk for the rest of her life.”
Rights and mission groups Ephlal Ministry, Peace Pakistan, Protect Foundation and Life for All condemned the “brutal torturing of the innocent family done by the PAF police.” Ephlal Ministry chairman Mehboob Alam said rights activists have urged the Christian community to support the “family in time of their need, as they have been thrown out of the PAF quarters” in Islamabad.
They said they have opened a special e-mail address where people can receive more information on how they can help the family, peacepakistan@hotmail.com There has been an increase in attacks against minority Christians in Pakistan, a predominantly Islamic
nation, several rights groups say.
