Daily Times

The editor of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s annual report that highlighted the prevalence in the country of what law enforcement agencies call encounter killings was on Friday robbed of her laptop, cell phones, USB devices, some jewelry and cash from her house in DHA.

Maryam Hassan said the armed assailants held her at gunpoint and asked questions about her work. Talking to Daily Times, she said she was home alone when the incident took place. “The men forcibly entered my house and held me at gunpoint. Initially, I thought it was a routine robbery but soon they started inquiring about my profession and other details irrelevant to a robbery.”

She said the assailants asked her about her driver’s whereabout. To which, she said that the driver as well as family members were not at home. She said one of the men, dressed in a black coloured shalwar suit, had an aggressive posture, adding that he also pushed her twice while holding her at gunpoint. The other man, she said, seemed relatively polite. They asked her about her work, office address and other ‘irrelevant’ questions.

Then they told her that they had visited her house a day earlier as well but they left since no one was home.

Hasan said that from their movements inside the house and their constant stares through the windows, it seemed that the two men had a backup as well and they were receiving instructions.

Later, she was locked in a room as the two assailants went through her stuff in other rooms.

Hasan said that the two men took away her laptop but returned minutes later from the main gate to take with them her two cell phones, cash, jewelry and USB devices.

Afterwards, she said, some DHA security personnel and policemen visited her house and noted down details of the incident, besides taking photographs of the crime scene.

She said she remained in a state of trauma all day because of the incident and could not submit an application for registration of an FIR. She said she will approach the police to fulfill all legal formalities for registration of an FIR on Saturday (today).

Published in Daily Times, April 21^st 2018.