University student confesses to murdering 13-year-old schoolgirl

A post-graduate University student on Sunday 22 August 2021 confessed to murdering a schoolgirl. He had strangled the young girl of 13 years and dumped her body in an out-of-use manhole in the courtyard of his house, located in Abbaspur area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), as reported by Dawn. (Naqash, 2021). The victim was related to her murderer and actually lived next door to him, according to Assistant Commissioner Abbaspur Syed Tassawar Kazmi. The victim was reported missing by her father, who, relying on a text message, stated to the police that she had been “trapped and abducted by some Mohammad Rafaqat, resident of Sargodha”. Upon the father’s complaint, police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and started an investigation into the murder.

Ironically, the University student was protesting against police’s failure to make any headway in the girl’s disappearance case. When being called to the police station, the suspect remained confident, but evidence gained from geo-fencing strengthened the suspicion that he was actually behind the disappearance of the victim. During further investigations, the student confessed to the girl’s killing, saying that the girl was pregnant from their sexual relations, and he decided to kill her by strangling. 

Unfortunately, mistreatment of women and young girls, especially between family relatives remains an issue in Pakistan. Gender-based violence is a problem impossible to ignore, which sheds light on the deplorable state of women’s rights in Pakistan. (Hafeez, 2021).

Women protesting for their rights on International Women’s Day in Islamabad. Photo Source: CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/20/asia/pakistan-court-violence-women-intl-scli/index.html 

Naqash, T. (August 23, 2021) University student confesses to murdering schoolgirl https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=23_08_2021_004_005

Hafeez, S. (August 7, 2021) Pakistan’s Problem With Violence Against Women Is Growing Impossible to Ignore https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/pakistans-problem-with-violence-against-women-is-growing-impossible-to-ignore/