CJP takes notice of Asma murder case


ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, on Friday, took notice of rape and murder of a four-year-old Asma in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) Mardan area.

CJP further ordered Inspector-General (IG) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Salahuddin Mehsud to submit a report within 24 hours with details of the investigation.

On January 17, K-P’s top cop said that an autopsy report had confirmed that a minor girl in Mardan had been raped before being killed.

Autopsy report confirms rape, murder of minor in Mardan

“Asma went missing in Gujjar Ghari area of Mardan on January 13 and her body was found the following afternoon,” Mehsud confirmed last week, adding that they had sent the body for an autopsy which confirmed that the girl had been raped and then strangled.

Addressing a news conference at the Central Police Office (CPO), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Salahuddin Mehsud said that the girl had gone missing late last week and turned up dead the next day.

IGP Mehsud said that initial investigations indicated that the perpetrator had acted alone.

“Most probably the offender was a single man and his motives were sexual assault of the girl and the child was strangled afterwards,” he said, adding that they were currently collecting samples from people for DNA testing to see if it matched samples obtained from the girl.

The top cop said that they had formed a high-powered investigation committee headed by the district police officer (DPO) with the deputy superintendent of police-investigation and inspectors a part of it, who were trying to trace the suspect. He refused to divulge further details about the case citing ongoing investigations.

Moreover, he said that the Regional Police Officer (RPO) and his office were closely monitoring the progress of the case.

K-P MPs concerned about Mardan’s own Zainab

“Another 13-member committee has been formed, including members from six political parties of the area, and they have been tasked with monitoring the progress of police in this particular case,” he said.

IGP Mehsud, though, said that the autopsy report had also raised some questions.

“There are some questions which still need to be answered, thus the report has been sent to the forensic laboratory to get a more clear picture,” he added.

Statement comes a day after Punjab CM announced that the prime suspect in the case had been caught

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    Original news : https://tribune.com.pk/story/1618574/1-cjp-takes-notice-asma-murder-case/