LAHORE: Maulvi Muhammad Altaf, a Quran teacher accused of raping a five-year-old boy in a mosque, was granted bail after the victimâs family agreed not to pursue the case and withdrew its witnesses.
"Da maulvi sez youse guys don't wanna press no charges!"
"Why wouldn't we press charges? He buggered our five-year-old!"
"Cuz da maulvi's a real holy guy, see? An' we got guns." |
The family was known to have signed an agreement on stamp paper with the accused some time ago stating that neither side would prosecute the other, and that the family had nominated Maulvi Altaf on suspicion but now âforgivenâ him.
| "We forgive you! We forgive you! Don't burn our house down!" |
The agreement was signed after the family came under pressure from Nasir Colony, Green Town, residents, religious groups and the son of a top government figure. The sessions court granted Maulvi Altaf bail after two witnesses from the victimâs family withdrew their statements. However, police told Daily Times that they would send the challan to the court. âAccording to the challan, there is only one suspect in the case, Maulvi Altaf,â a police official said. âWe will send the challan because the family, according to the agreement, did not deny that the child was sexually abused. They only forgave or excluded the maulvi from the case.â Muhammad Aslam, the victimâs grandfather, lodged a first information report against Maulvi Altaf, 26, under Section 12/7 of the Hudood Ordinances accusing him of raping his grandson. According to the FIR, the boy, Talha, went to the Lajneh Mosque to study on the afternoon of June 6 but did not return home at his usual time. His mother went to the mosque to fetch him and found him lying in on the steps. He was bleeding and unconscious. Talha, from a family of rickshaw drivers, also made a statement identifying Maulvi Altaf as his attacker in front of police. |