PAKISTAN: A Pregnant maid tortured

| by Xavier Patras William

(November 09, Islamabad, Sri Lanka Guardian) Salma Emmanuel 30, a Christian maid was tortured on Sunday and admitted at the hospital in a critical condition.

According to Emmanuel Masih her husband, Salma Emmanuel is from Mohallah Raja Sultan Rawalpindi and got married to Emmanuel Masih over a year ago and moved to Kunj Jadeed Mohalla, Abbotabad. She was working as a maid at Ghazal Riaz`s house at the post office building, Abbotabad.

Salma Emmanuel was five months pregnant, on Thursday she bought gold ornaments around 100 grams for her brother`s wedding in Rawalpindi. For the security reasons she requested Ghazal Riaz to keep her gold ornaments with her, she will take it when she goes to Rawalpindi.

Salma Emmanuel said, "On Saturday around 1am Ghazal Riaz called and said that there has been a robbery and took around 900,000 Rupees (10,645 $ US Dollars) and approx 300 grams gold ornaments including Salma Riaz`s gold ornaments." She asked us to come to the house immediately. We went to Riaz`s place. The police was already there with the sniffer dogs. Although Emmanuel Masih went to Riaz`s house for the first time, the dogs repeatedly went towards him. Riaz`s brother Jawad a serving Colonel was also there. He was pressuring the police and threatened us of dire consequences. The police

arrested my husband on Col. Jawad`s pressure and took him to the police station."

On Sunday afternoon the police went to Kunj Jadeed and took Salma Emmanuel to the City Police Station without arrest warrants. Inspector Nazia and two female subordinates dragged Salma Emmanuel, severely tortured her continuously for three hours, forcing her to confess her involvement in the robbery.

" I was in severe pain, I kept saying that I and my husband are innocent, but they kept kicking me. They kept threatening me that they will kill me and my child if I will not confess. The female officers kept saying that Riaz and her brother are very influential, they will have us killed and no one will even come to know about it. They severely tortured me, when I was almost unconscious they called a male officer and sent me home." said Salma Emmanuel in tears and pain.

When she reached home, her condition became worse the family immediately took her to the Benazir Shaheed Hospital. The MO ( Medical Officer) confirmed that Salma Emmanuel was tortured and her foetus was in extreme danger, she wouldn`t be able to make it.

The Police officials have denied the allegations of illegal detention and torture by the

police.

Masihi Foundation a Human Rights Organization and Life for All Pakistan a Humanitarian organization issued a joint statement, "This is not a first incident where a maid has been illegally detained and tortured. On January 23, 2010, an innocent 12-year old child Shazia was reported to have been tortured to death. She had been employed as a maid in Advocate Naeem’s house in Lahore. On 15th April 2010 Sumera Pervaiz, 14 years old Christian maid working at Wing Commander Faheem Cheema house in Pakistan Air Force Islamabad base colony was illegally detained and tortured. Unfortunately the authorities didnt take any action because the people involved were influential and were able to pressurize the legal system. These people have made the society hostage and feel that they can do anything they want. "

It further said, " It is indeed a sad incident, the wife is in the hospital in a critical condition and the husband is at an un-disclosed location. Once again the influentials in the society have used their influence against the weak and over powered the law... the concerned authorities have put a deaf ear to it and are the silent observers of the massive abuse of the human rights. They have nearly taken an innocent life which was yet to come to the world. The Christian domestic workers are rapped, kidnapped, tortured and killed, yet the authorities claim that the minorities are given equal rights."