Art installation draws attention to plight of Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad

<p>An art installation, titled 'Lost/Un-found', was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad, commemorating the International Migrants Day observed every year on December 18.</p> <p>Present at the event were families of the Pakistani migrant workers imprisoned abroad as well as Senator Seemi Ezdi.</p> <p>A project of the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), the art installation was conceived and developed by artist and storyteller Fahad Naveed and highlights the plight of nearly 11,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in foreign jails, including around 3,000 in Saudi Arabia alone.</p> <p>It aims to underline Pakistan’s weak regulation of labour migration leaving thousands of mostly low-wage Pakistani workers vulnerable to human trafficking, forced labour, ill-treatment in detention overseas, and even the risk of death.</p> <p>At the event, the 11,000 Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad were represented by 1,100 suitcases placed in an open public space and from within those suitcases emerged incoherent, jumbled sounds — stories of families waiting for the return of their loved ones, and of prisoners narrating their ordeal and the circumstances of their arrest and detention.</p> <p>Several stories played simultaneously, creating a distressing and unnerving ambiance.</p> <p><strong>Take a look:</strong> <em><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522888/broken-lives">Broken lives</a></em></p> <p>“This installation is an attempt to raise questions about the thousands of migrant workers in jails around the world,” said artist Naveed, a graduate of news and documentary filmmaking from New York University. “By placing 1,100 suitcases — a fraction of the number of prisoners — in the open spaces of a park, I hope to get visitors to pause and think about those who are locked up, and do not enjoy these freedoms.”</p> <p>The families of those imprisoned abroad appealed to the government to ensure their loved ones were brought back and consular protection provided to them. Senator Seemi Ezdi heard the plight of the families and assured them that the government was committed to providing relief to the inmates.</p> <p>Talking to <em>Dawn</em>, Wakeel Khan, whose son is imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, said many of the workers who travelled for work and were imprisoned for minor crimes were languishing in jails.</p> <p>“Their parents, wives and children here in Pakistan are disturbed and living a difficult life. Their wives have to work in houses; their children cannot go to school,” he lamented.</p> <p>Similarly, Lahore’s Muhammad Naveed told <em>Dawn</em> that his mother was being treated poorly in a Saudi jail.</p> <p>“I appeal to the government to help me bring back my mother who is totally innocent. I want to appeal on behalf of all the other prisoners also that they should be supported in their ordeal. I urge the Saudi government to support the inmates. We appeal to the prime minister because we have a lot of hope from him. He even promised the return of foreign prisoners, so we urge him to fulfil the promise now.”</p> <p><strong>Read</strong> | <em><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1478050">11,000 Pakistanis suffering in foreign jails: JPP study</a></em></p> <p>Senator Ezdi, while talking to <em>Dawn</em>, said: “The intending migrant workers must have valid documents, such as invitation letters, from their prospective workplace. They must also know the basic language of the country they intend to travel to because they work with the local population.”</p> <p>She further claimed that Islamabad has had over 200 Pakistani inmates returned from abroad in a year. In the last 15 months, she added, 4,500 cases were disposed of and those inmates would return soon.</p> <figure class='media one-half palm--one-whole media--right'> <div class='media__item'><img alt="Senator Seemi Ezdi and the families of prisoners speaking to JPP's Sarah Belal. — Photo by Nade Ali" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dfa6b9758356.jpg" /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption">Senator Seemi Ezdi and the families of prisoners speaking to JPP's Sarah Belal. — Photo by Nade Ali</figcaption> </figure> <p>According to JPP, many of those imprisoned abroad were indigent labourers who travelled for job opportunities and were forced by their handlers into carrying drugs. Others were victims of human trafficking or travelling on forged documents provided by dubious overseas employment agents.</p> <p>They are then at the mercy of local courts without access to lawyers, impartial translators, or consular assistance from Pakistani diplomatic missions. Resultantly, they face the harshest punishments due to their lack of understanding of and assistance with the legal process, incapability to communicate directly with the court, and inability to produce evidence from Pakistan in their defence.</p> <p>Sarah Belal, executive director of JPP, adds: “There is a power in art to move the coldest of hearts. We have brought this installation to the people of Islamabad for them to understand the horrors migrants face in prisons abroad and what their families go through back home. The government must wake up to this nightmare and do all in its power to ensure these indigent prisoners are not deprived of their fundamental human rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan.”</p> <p>Earlier in February, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, during a welcome ceremony on his visit to Pakistan, had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1464413/pakistan-will-be-a-very-important-country-in-coming-future-says-saudi-crown-prince">promised</a> to do “whatever we can” after Prime Minister Imran Khan had made a "special request" to look into the hardships of Pakistani labourers working in Saudi Arabia.</p> <p>"There are some 3,000 [Pakistani] prisoners there and we just would like you to bear in mind that they are poor people who have left their families behind," the premier had said.</p> <p>A day after the pronouncement, federal minister Fawad Chaudhry had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1464580">tweeted</a> that MBS had “ordered the immediate release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi Jails”, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also tweeting about the release of Pakistani prisoners "with immediate effect", adding that "cases of the remaining will be reviewed".</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522997/art-installation-draws-attention-to-plight-of-pakistani-labourers-imprisoned-abroad">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522997/art-installation-draws-attention-to-plight-of-pakistani-labourers-imprisoned-abroad</a>

Art installation draws attention to plight of Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad

An art installation, titled 'Lost/Un-found', was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad, commemorating the ...

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KL Summit: 'Pakistan wishes to be part of the solution, not the problem,' says Awan

<p>The government's chief spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said that Pakistan wishes to be "part of the solution and not part of the problem" when it comes to ties between Muslim countries.</p> <p>Awan's remarks came during a media briefing in Islamabad regarding a meeting between the core committee members of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).</p> <p>A meeting of the party's core committee had been called by the premier today at 5pm to discuss "the current political situation", according to <em>DawnNewsTV</em>.</p> <p>Awan said that PM Imran and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed the core committee on the decision to <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522854/pakistan-skips-malaysia-moot-to-avert-division-in-ummah">not attend</a> the Kuala Lumpur Summit. "The prime minister and the foreign minister spoke in detail about the backdrop in which the decision was made," she said.</p> <p>The PM's aide said that Pakistan has strategic interest in the region, especially with regard to the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).</p> <p>"OIC is a platform which 57 countries of the Muslim <em>ummah</em> are a part of and the <em>ummah's</em> unity is the need of the hour," said Awan.</p> <p>She said that Pakistan wishes to play the role of a country that unites the <em>ummah</em>.</p> <p>"The premier's vision to bring together the Muslim world means that Pakistan does not wish to align itself with any country's individual interests.</p> <p>"Pakistan will stand with the overall cause and interests of the Muslim <em>ummah</em>," explained Awan, adding, "It wishes to play a central role for the betterment of the <em>ummah</em> and its solidarity."</p> <p>Awan also briefed the media on other discussions held during the meeting, including those on the subject of the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522774/former-military-dictator-musharraf-handed-death-sentence-in-high-treason-case">verdict</a> issued by the special court a day earlier against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.</p> <p>"The prime minister told the core committee that the institutions of Pakistan are the pillars of the state and the state's interest will always be supreme at any cost," she said.</p> <p>"We have to bolster our support to the state's institutions and make them independent and stand by the rule of law.</p> <p>"So the legal team will inform the committee, the cabinet and the party after reviewing these priorities and we will then present the government's stance on this."</p> <p>She said that the issue of the pending appointments in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — especially that of the chief election commissioner — were also discussed in the meeting.</p> <p>Awan reminded the audience that the issue has been facing a delay due to a lack of consensus in the parliament.</p> <p>"The parliamentary committee formed by the prime minister comprising PTI and its government allies has been given the task of getting together with the National Assembly Speaker and deciding on a final course of action," said the PM's aide.</p> <p>She said that the committee is expected to develop consensus on a candidate and "to fulfil its constitutional and legal responsibility to restore the ECP's functioning".</p> <p>Awan termed the practice of two parties getting together to decide on the appointment of a regulator as "contrary to the parameters of democracy".</p> <p>"A regulator is never hand picked or appointed out of choice."</p> <p>She recommended that the parliament review the criteria of appointment for the future because a regulator must be appointed "on merit, competency, qualifications, and overall with a fair and free mechanism".</p> <p>"It is important to empower an institution rather than parties or individuals," she stressed.</p> <p>Awan said that the prime minister instructed the parliamentary committee to figure out the constitutional and legal way forward in this so that "we can rid ourselves" of this current method of ECP appointments.</p> <hr /> <p><em>More to follow.</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522991/kl-summit-pakistan-wishes-to-be-part-of-the-solution-not-the-problem-says-awan">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522991/kl-summit-pakistan-wishes-to-be-part-of-the-solution-not-the-problem-says-awan</a>

KL Summit: 'Pakistan wishes to be part of the solution, not the problem,' says Awan

The government's chief spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said that Pakistan wishes to be "part of the solution and not p...

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Army chief visits SSG headquarters, vows not to let stability be affected 'at any cost'

<p>Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the military's Special Services Group (SSG), a tweet by the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.</p> <p>The visit by COAS comes a day after former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, who was from the SSG, was handed a death sentence in the high treason case.</p> <p>Gen Bajwa during the visit lauded the contribution of SSG personnel towards the defence of the country.</p> <p>“We have brought stability by failing all inimical forces operating against Pakistan. We shall never let it go away at any cost," the army chief was quoted as saying.</p> <p>"SSG is our pride with myriad contributions towards defence of [the] country through its valiant officers and soldiers since the creation of Pakistan," Gen Bajwa added.</p> <figure class='media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch media--uneven media--embed'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter'> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1207284750458720256"></a></blockquote> </div> </figure> <p>A special court in Islamabad on Tuesday had awarded death sentence to Musharraf in absentia for suspending the Constitution on November 3, 2007. It marked the first time in Pakistan's history that a military chief was declared guilty of high treason and handed a death sentence. The verdict was split 2-1.</p> <p>In a sharp and quick reaction to the ruling, the media wing of the armed forces had said: “The decision given by special court about General Pervez Musharraf, retired, has been received with lot of pain and anguish by rank and file of Pakistan armed forces. An ex-army chief, chairman joint chief of staff committee and President of Pakistan, who has served the country for over 40 years, fought wars for the defence of the country can surely never be a traitor.”</p> <p>The statement by the DG ISPR had come after a meeting of the top military leadership was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi in the wake of the judgement, according to sources.</p> <p>“The due legal process seems to have been ignored including constitution of the special court, denial of fundamental right of self-defence, undertaking individual specific proceedings and concluding the case in haste,” it had added.</p> <p>The ISPR had said the armed forces expected that justice would be dispensed in line with the Constitution.</p> <hr /> <p><em>More to follow.</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522990/army-chief-visits-ssg-headquarters-vows-not-to-let-stability-be-affected-at-any-cost">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522990/army-chief-visits-ssg-headquarters-vows-not-to-let-stability-be-affected-at-any-cost</a>

Army chief visits SSG headquarters, vows not to let stability be affected 'at any cost'

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the military's Special Services Group (SSG), a tweet by the di...

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US House opens session ahead of historic vote on Trump impeachment

<p>The US House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, who is poised to become the nation's third president to be impeached.</p> <p>The vote on charges against the Republican president, expected to come later on Wednesday, is expected to fall along party lines in the Democratic-controlled chamber.</p> <p>An enraged US President Donald Trump said he was being subjected to an "attempted coup" and a witch trial.</p> <p>In an extraordinarily angry six-page letter, Trump on Tuesday told Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the Democratic-led House of Representatives, that "history will judge you harshly".</p> <figure class='media one-half palm--one-whole media--right'> <div class='media__item'><img alt="A letter from President Donald Trump to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., is photographed on Tuesday, in Washington. — AP" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5df9a7505b8cb.jpg" /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption">A letter from President Donald Trump to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., is photographed on Tuesday, in Washington. — AP</figcaption> </figure> <p>Referring to a famous miscarriage of justice and religious extremism in the 17th-century United States, resulting in 20 executions, Trump said he had been given less rights than "those accused in the Salem Witch Trials".</p> <p>The letter came just minutes before Pelosi announced that the House would vote on Wednesday to make Trump only the third US leader ever impeached and placed on trial in the Senate.</p> <p><strong>Read</strong> | <em><a href="http://dawn.com/news/1522987/">Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote</a></em></p> <p>"The House of Representatives will exercise one of the most solemn powers granted to us by the Constitution as we vote to approve two articles of impeachment against the president of the United States," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic colleagues on Tuesday.</p> <p>"During this very prayerful moment in our nation's history, we must honor our oath to support and defend our constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic," she added.</p> <h2 id='5dfa374782f32'>Frustration and fury</h2> <p>Trump is accused of attempting to force Ukraine into what would have been a damaging announcement of an unfounded probe into a main 2020 reelection rival, Joe Biden.</p> <p>He is also accused of obstructing Congress by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment investigation, barring staff from testifying and holding back documentary evidence.</p> <p>The two articles of impeachment are certain to pass in the House, where Democrats hold a firm majority.</p> <p>That will send the case to the Senate, where a trial of Trump is expected to open in January, and his acquittal is equally expected, given the Republicans' control there.</p> <p>Even with that likely outcome, Trump poured out his frustration and fury in the letter to Pelosi defending his record and attacking Democrats.</p> <p>The letter, on White House paper and ending with his characteristic oversized signature in thick black pen, accused the veteran Democratic politician of "breaking your allegiance to the Constitution" and "declaring open war on American Democracy".</p> <p>It repeated his claim that the entire case against him is a "hoax" and a "colossal injustice".</p> <p>It said Democrats were being driven in impeachment "by your most deranged and radical representatives of the far left".</p> <h2 id='5dfa374782f51'>Democrats do the numbers</h2> <p>Pelosi dismissed the letter as "really sick". Wednesday's debate will last six hours, with a vote expected in late afternoon or evening.</p> <p>With the exception of just two, the 235 Democrat members in Congress appeared poised to stand united in voting through the formal impeachment charges.</p> <p>While some members from relatively conservative districts face the possibility of being voted out of office next year for their stance, they stood together under Pelosi's political wrangling.</p> <p>"My military service taught me to put our country — not politics — first, and my time as a federal prosecutor taught me about the importance of the rule of law and of justice," declared Mikie Sherrill, a first-term representative from a Trump-leaning district in New Jersey.</p> <p>"I will be voting in favor of the articles of impeachment."</p> <p>"I know some people will be angry at my decision, but I was elected to do what is right, not politically safe," said Anthony Brindisi, another first-term Democrat, from a conservative New York constituency.</p> <p>Protests in support of impeachment broke out in several cities including New York, Boston, New Orleans and Los Angeles.</p> <p>Demonstrators waved signs urging Congress to "Dump Trump" and "Protect our Democracy". One sign wished fellow protesters a "merry impeachment," in reference to the approaching Christmas holiday.</p> <h2 id='5dfa374782f69'>Tensions in Congress</h2> <p>At a hearing in the House Rules Committee, which sets out the procedures for votes, senior Republican Doug Collins accused Democrats of trying to rush through the impeachment.</p> <p>"There will be a day of reckoning," Collins warned. "Whatever you may gain will be short-lived."</p> <p>And the top two senators butted heads over what form the trial will take.</p> <p>Democrats are insisting on calling White House officials as witnesses.</p> <p>Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer wants Trump's chief of staff, former national security advisor and two others to testify.</p> <p>But Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who can largely set the rules, rejected this and dismissed any idea that the trial wasn't a purely political exercise.</p> <p>"I think we're going to get almost an entirely partisan impeachment," he said.</p> <p>"This is a political process. There is nothing judicial about it. I'm not impartial about this at all."</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522969/us-house-opens-session-ahead-of-historic-vote-on-trump-impeachment">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522969/us-house-opens-session-ahead-of-historic-vote-on-trump-impeachment</a>

US House opens session ahead of historic vote on Trump impeachment

The US House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald T...

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Former PAF chief Zafar Chaudhry passes away

<p>Former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief retired Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry passed away due to a cardiac arrest, the PAF announced on Wednesday.</p> <p>He had served as the 8th Air Force chief from March 3, 1972 to April 15, 1974. PAF Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan expressed profound grief over his demise.</p> <p>Chaudhry was among the founding members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. HRCP Chairperson Dr Mehdi Hasan in a statement on Wednesday announced a reference in his memory on December 30 in Lahore.</p> <p>"A committed human rights activist, he was instrumental in supporting HRCP as an independent human rights organisation in the mid-1980s, when no such body existed," Hasan said.</p> <p>"The Commission is indebted to him for helping establish its secretariat in Lahore. The entire HRCP family will feel his loss keenly, in particular the friends and comrades with whom he worked so closely," it added.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522986/former-paf-chief-zafar-chaudhry-passes-away">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522986/former-paf-chief-zafar-chaudhry-passes-away</a>

Former PAF chief Zafar Chaudhry passes away

Former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief retired Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry passed away due to a cardiac arrest, the PAF announced on Wed...

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Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote

<p>US President Donald Trump is facing a likely impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.</p> <p>Only two US presidents have been impeached — Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 — although both survived a trial in the Senate that would have removed them from office.</p> <p>Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.</p> <p>Here's what you need to know ahead of the historic House vote:</p> <h2 id='5dfa253a6022e'>The whistleblower</h2> <p>In an August 12 complaint, an unknown whistleblower in the intelligence community said Trump was “using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 US election.”</p> <p>The whistleblower's complaint stemmed from a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.</p> <h2 id='5dfa253a6024d'>The phone call</h2> <p>During the call, Trump asked Zelensky to “look into” his potential 2020 Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who served on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma.</p> <p>Trump is accused of withholding $391 million in military aid for Ukraine and a White House meeting for Zelensky in exchange for a probe of the Bidens.</p> <p>Trump insists he did nothing wrong but Democrats said the demand for an investigation of the Bidens constituted an abuse of power.</p> <p>The White House released the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call on September 25 following newspaper reports about the whistleblower complaint.</p> <figure class='media four-fifths palm--one-whole media--center'> <div class='media__item'><img alt="Presidents who have been impeached or threatened with impeachment by the House of Representatives. — AFP" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dfa1cf35638a.jpg" /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption">Presidents who have been impeached or threatened with impeachment by the House of Representatives. — AFP</figcaption> </figure> <h2 id='5dfa253a60266'>The Bidens</h2> <p>Hunter Biden served from 2014 to 2019 on the board of Burisma, which has been accused of engaging in corrupt practices.</p> <p>As Barack Obama's vice president, Joe Biden and other Western leaders pressured Ukraine to get rid of its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, because he was seen as not tough enough on corruption.</p> <p>Trump has claimed that Biden, in seeking the removal of Shokin, was seeking to protect his son. But that allegation has largely been debunked and there has been no evidence of illegal conduct in Ukraine by the Bidens.</p> <h2 id='5dfa253a6027e'>Impeachment hearings</h2> <p>The House Intelligence Committee interviewed more than a dozen witnesses in public and private including senior State Department and National Security Council officials.</p> <p>The White House ignored House subpoenas and several requested witnesses declined to testify including former National Security Adviser John Bolton and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.</p> <p>Following the open hearings, the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment on December 13 accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.</p> <h2 id='5dfa253a60294'>Opinion polls</h2> <p>Fifty percent of the respondents in a <em>Fox News</em> poll said they support impeaching and removing Trump from office. Forty-one percent opposed impeachment.</p> <p>Forty-five percent of the respondents in a <em>CNN</em> poll said Trump should be impeached and removed while 47 percent said he should not.</p> <figure class='media four-fifths palm--one-whole media--center media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item'><img alt="The US impeachment process. — AFP" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dfa1cf4b9eb2.jpg" /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption">The US impeachment process. — AFP</figcaption> </figure> <h2 id='5dfa253a602aa'>House vote</h2> <p>Democrats hold 233 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives to the Republican's 197 and are likely to have enough votes for impeachment, which requires only a simple majority.</p> <p>No Republicans lawmakers have come out in favour of impeachment but the sole independent in the House has said he would vote in favor.</p> <p>If Trump is impeached, the case will go to the Senate.</p> <h2 id='5dfa253a602bf'>Senate trial</h2> <p>Supreme Court Justice John Roberts will preside over a January trial in the Senate, where Republicans enjoy a 53-47 majority.</p> <p>Representatives from the House would act as prosecutors, and the president's attorneys would present his defense.</p> <p>Two-thirds of the Senate is needed to remove Trump from office and unless Republicans break ranks the president is likely to be acquitted.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522987/trump-impeachment-what-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-vote">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522987/trump-impeachment-what-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-vote</a>

Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote

US President Donald Trump is facing a likely impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Only two US presidents have bee...

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Police arrest muezzin over alleged sexual assault of minor boy in Muzaffargarh

<p>Police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy in Muzaffargarh.</p> <p>A First Information Report (FIR), dated December 17, was registered on the complaint on the victim's father at Sethpur station under Section 377 (unnatural offence) of the Pakistan Penal Code.</p> <p>As per the FIR, the complainant's son went to a nearby mosque inside a shrine to study the Quran at around 6:30am. However, unusually, he returned early crying and told his father and others about the incident that had taken place.</p> <p>According to the FIR, the suspect visited the mosque daily to offer prayers and is also a <em>muezzin</em> (who leads the call to prayer).</p> <p>The report said that the suspect took the boy outside of the Tadrees-e-Quran room into the Darbar Sharif, where he allegedly assaulted him. The suspect also gave the victim Rs10 in an attempt to silence him but the victim refused and ran home.</p> <p>Sethpur Station House Officer Malik Sharif Malana said that police arrested the suspect as soon as they received information of the incident and registered a case.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522984/police-arrest-muezzin-over-alleged-sexual-assault-of-minor-boy-in-muzaffargarh">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522984/police-arrest-muezzin-over-alleged-sexual-assault-of-minor-boy-in-muzaffargarh</a>

Police arrest muezzin over alleged sexual assault of minor boy in Muzaffargarh

Police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy in Muzaffargarh. A First Information Report (FIR), dated Dec...

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