Faisalabad police fail to take action after jirga acquits cleric accused of raping 12-year-old

The alleged incident of rape attempt on a child by a cleric in Faisalabad sparked outrage on social media, fueling concerns about child safety and exposing cracks in Pakistan’s justice system due to lack of action by the police, who received the initial complaint from the victim's father.

On March 22, the father of the child filed an FIR with the local police in Tandlianwala, alleging that his 12-year-old child did not return home after Maghrib prayers.

He grew anxious for the safety of his child and joined a search with other men. As they approached the mosque, the sounds of shouting from a nearby mosque drew their attention.

Upon entering the house they discovered the cleric identified as Maulana Abubakar Muavia was attempting to rape the child. The suspect pointed the gun towards them and escaped the scene. 

On the same day, a video message surfaced on social media showing the father detailing the incident with his child. Local police then arrested the accused cleric on March 23.  

A video of SP Tandlianwala, Shamsul Haq reprimanding the suspect also went viral on social media.

He was scheduled to appear in the judicial magistrate court the day after his arrest. However, Allama Ibtisam Elahi travelled from Lahore to Faisalabad and facilitated reconciliation between both parties in a jirga.

The main eyewitness of the incident, the child's father, retracted his previously recorded video statement and forgave the accused scholar.

The video of a group of several clerics sitting with the victim's family in a panchayat (a village council), claiming the issue was a mere misunderstanding, sparked outrage on social media.

بچے کے ساتھ جنسی زیادتی کیس کا ڈراپ سین یہ ھوا ہے کہ اب غلط فہمی دور ھوگئی ہے اور آج پتہ چلا ہے کہ زیادتی میں غلط فہمی ھوتی ہے اور وہ غلط فہمی آپس میں مل بیٹھے سے دور ھوجاتی ہے pic.twitter.com/SrsVLQce1Q

— Shafiq Ahmad Adv (@ShafiqAhmadAdv3) March 29, 2024

Rape victim: 12 year old
Cleric was caught red handed by victim’s father
Cleric used force, threatened the boy and father by gun
Father filed a complaint
The accused cleric was arrested
Story Twist
Molana, Ibtisam Zaheer stepped In
Father forgives son’s alleged Rapist pic.twitter.com/U93Qkdj8ET

— Faraz Saeed 🇵🇰 (@farazsaeed15) April 2, 2024

Netizens slammed the lack of accountability, highlighting how a matter of such gravity was swept under the rug in such a hasty and shady manner.

This incident sparked criticism of religious scholars, who did not prevent child abuse, but rather dismissed the case and shielded the accused. 

While the police were the first to act on the incident, it disappeared after the matter involved several other religious scholars who came to defend the accused. 

To date, no adequate action has been taken, nor has a proper investigation been launched.

Several activists criticised the police for relying solely on the complainant's statement and jirga's rulings, rather than filing a case and prosecuting independently. 

According to the report titled ‘Cruel Numbers 2023', 11 children were abused per day in Pakistan every day during the past year.

Child safety in Pakistan is evidently deteriorating due to the lack of accountability for perpetrators through the criminal justice system.