#1 Did the Pak government arrange for Mukhtar's rapists to be released so they would have an excuse to keep her 'under protection'?
The Mukhtar Mai case, one of the most sordid high-profile cases in Pakistan’s recent history, seems to be getting even more sordid. On June 10, a full-bench of the Lahore High Court released the 12 accused in the alleged gang-rape case...Insiders, however, say there may be more to it than meets the eye. Amnesty International had invited Mukhtar Mai to an awards ceremony. It seems that the government did not want her to go abroad, fearing that the Western press would write about her ordeal and whatever she might say would be bad for Pakistan’s image. So it decided not to let Mukhtar Mai go abroad by putting her name on the Exit Control List. Interestingly enough, when international pressure on the government to let her go increased, the LHC announced it was releasing the accused. This gave the government an opportunity to quickly cordon off her house and refuse to let her out on the pretext that her security was at risk, following the release of the accused. |
A Pakistani woman who was gang-raped on orders from a village council asked the government on Saturday to lift restrictions on her movement, a day after a court ordered the release of a dozen men detained in her high-profile case. Mukhtar Mai, 36, said she had suddenly been included without explanation on a government list of people who cannot leave Pakistan.