Judicial commission recommended to probe alleged rape, murder of 5-year-old Ayat Noor

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights has recommended the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the alleged rape and murder of five-year-old Ayat Noor in Haripur.

The committee also recommended that the case be reinvestigated by a new team, with MNA Babar Nawaz expressing a lack of confidence in the Haripur police.

Babar Nawaz highlighted alleged police negligence during the investigation, saying Ayat Noor’s parents faced difficulties even in registering an FIR over their daughter’s disappearance. He said the parents were allegedly asked to prove for two days that they were married and were also asked to produce their nikahnama.

The committee was told that a female DSP allegedly accused Ayat Noor’s mother of killing the child, while her father was allegedly forced to record a statement under Section 164.

Babar Nawaz said police only took the case seriously after people across the city took to the streets to demand Ayat Noor’s recovery.

According to him, Ayat Noor’s body was recovered 15 days later and was allegedly around seven days old. The committee member also questioned the arrest of three children in the case, saying it was unclear how police had implicated them.

He said the 11-year-old child who allegedly took Ayat Noor from her home never stated that there were three boys to whom the girl was handed over.