Daily Times

LAHORE: Law minister Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that the provincial government was considering addition of lessons on information regarding sexual harassment in schools curriculum. He said scholars were being consulted for the purpose.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Sanaullah said a committee had been formed to consult scholars and proceed with the matter based on their feedback.

“These lessons will be compiled in a textbook that will be shared with the Chief Minister after the committee finishes preliminary work,” he said.

Commenting on seven-year-old Zainab’s rape and murder, the law minister said that it was a regretful incident that had damage the country’s image abroad.

He said that the culprit who was now behind bars had participated in the child’s funeral prayers. “He was also part of a protest against the child’s killing, however, when he was called for DNA examination he suddenly went missing. After that, security agencies followed him and tracked him down,” Sanaullah said.

The law minister lashed out at PTI chairman Imran Khan, holding him responsible for inaction in Asma Rani’s killing case. He said a PTI lawmaker from KP was involved in the killing and that was why the party was not taking action in the matter.

Later, Sanaullah expressed his gratitude for Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the judiciary for playing their role in the arrest of the main suspect in Zainab’s rape and murder case.

Zainab was kidnapped on January 4 in Kasur and was found five days later from a garbage pile. The post-mortem examination revealed that the child was raped and murdered. Later, the authorities succeeded in nabbing the suspect, identified as a neighbor Imran.

“Everyone played their role in bringing him before the court of law,” Sanaullah said, ” We are thankful to the Almighty that the suspect was arrested with help of the forensic laboratory. We are equally sorry for the incidents that happened in Mardan and Kohat.”

Sanaullah lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for what he said was mishandling of Mardan and Kohat incidents.

“The district president’s relative kept threatening the girl and later shot and killed her. The PTI chief has no shame.

He hasn’t taken any action against the district president,” he said. “He didn’t even ask the police how the suspect fled the country. Had this happened in Punjab, CM would have made an example out of the suspect.”

Sanaullah said that the Punjab’s Forensic Lab now had a DNA profile and the medical authorities in KP had been asked to send suspects for matching of DNA samples.

Published in Daily Times, February 3^rd 2018.