Over the last few weeks, a great deal of misinformation has circulated around the targeting and plight of Khadijah Shah. With this statement, we are setting the record straight.
Khadijah Shah is a law-abiding citizen, a loving mother of 3 young children, a daughter and a wife. She is an entrepreneur recognized across South Asia and beyond, lauded for her contributions to the region’s fashion landscape and Pakistan’s retail economy.
Khadijah has never had any official affiliation with a political party and has always been committed to the rule of law and prosperity of Pakistani society. The deep influence of her grandparents, who raised her, is evident in her patriotism and respect for the Pakistan Army and the other institutions of our country.
A strong and vocal woman, Khadijah has exercised from time to time her constitutional right to peacefully express her views. On 09 May, she exercised her constitutionally protected right to peaceful protest. We are confident that any fair, impartial, and objective investigation and/or judicial process around the events of 09 May 2023 will establish Khadijah’s innocence.
Thus far, she has been subjected to a witch hunt that has perpetuated a consistently unfair picture of the facts, and irresponsible and prejudicial commentary on social and electronic media describing her as a central figure in the violence and damage caused on 09 May. Her civic activism and political beliefs, evident in her public statements, continue to be manipulated and twisted to feed a false narrative of incitement and anarchy.
We want to be very clear: Khadijah and our entire family have condemned and continue to condemn the senseless and dangerous violence that endangered the lives of those who serve our country and destroyed state property. Such violence has no place in a society that aims to uphold the promise of rule of law and democracy-two ideals that are close to Khadijah’s values and belief system.
Prior to the raids Khadijah was not aware that she was required in any investigation by the police. In the aftermath, she was fearful for her physical safety given the high-handed and rough manner in which women were being treated by the authorities. Despite this, she publicly stated that she would join any investigation and, on 23 May, voluntarily approached the police (CCPO Office Lahore) to join any investigation against her. She was arrested even though she was willing to co-operate with any investigation.
Since then, Khadijah was produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court with her face covered by the authorities on 24 May. She was sent to judicial lock-up for the purposes of an identification parade. She has been kept at Kot Lakhpat Jail and neither her family nor her lawyers have been able to see her. Various reports about her health, and the conditions in which she is being kept have surfaced but the family has not been able to meet with her to confirm any of this. She was due to be produced in court today (30th), however neither the Investigation Officer appeared in Court, nor had an identification parade been conducted, nor was Khadijah produced as per the earlier court orders.
Khadijah’s family and loved ones appeal to the state to ensure she is treated with respect, dignity, and given due process. Her fundamental right to a free and fair trial should not be undermined and she should be accorded the very basic legal presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise. These are every Pakistani citizen’s fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution of our country.
We stand by Khadijah and will do so until she is vindicated and returns to all those who love and miss her. We also want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support, love and prayers we have received during this time. It has been a source of great comfort and strength for us as a family.