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O R 281336Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL LAHORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4118
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RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4823
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 2118
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0460
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0839
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 1798
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 5273

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000155 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KCOR PK
SUBJECT: RAPE VICTIM PORTRAYED BY NY TIMES FACES CORRUPT POLICE AND 
POLITICIANS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Police in Khanewal district in south Punjab 
have refused to arrest the rapists and police whom New York 
Times subject Assiya Rafiq has accused of rape, women's rights 
activist Mukhtar Mai told Acting Principal Officer July 28. 
According to the July 26 article by Nicholas Kristof, two locals 
abducted Rafiq for approximately eight months, during which they 
repeatedly raped her.  The locals handed her to the police, who 
detained and raped her for 14 days, until a local court ordered 
an investigation June 19 and released her.  The Mukhtar Mai 
Women's Welfare Organization (MMWWO) has arranged shelter and 
legal representation for her and her family, MMWWO manager 
Samson Salamat detailed.  FSNoff contacted Khanewal district 
nazim Ahmad Yar Hiraj, who pledged to look into the case.  A/PO 
related the case to Member of the Provincial Assembly Hamza 
Sharif, who recorded the details and promised to "fix" the 
situation.  End Summary. 
 
- - - 
Assiya Rafiq Abducted and Raped 
- - - 
 
¶2. (SBU) Nicholas Kristof's July 26 New York Times article 
titled "Not A Victim, But a Hero" details the travails of 
17-year-old Assiya Rafiq, who has accused four policemen and two 
well-connected locals in Kabirwala town in Khanewal district in 
south Punjab of abduction and rape.  Interviewed while in the 
Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization (MMWWO) shelter in 
Muzzaffargarh district, Rafiq told Kristof that two men abducted 
her, raped her repeatedly for nearly a year, and handed her in 
early June 2009 to the local police, who then raped her during a 
two-week detention.  Although MMWWO-funded attorneys have filed 
charges against the accused, Kristof notes that police have 
refused to act while her family faces increasing threats. 
[Note: The Department provided a USD 65,000 grant for MMWWO 
shelter and resource center in 2009 and USD 130,000 in 2008. 
End Note.] 
 
¶3. (SBU) In a July 28 meeting with Acting Principal Officer, 
Mukhtar Mai and MMWWO managers Samson Salamat and Naseem Lal 
stressed that the police have refused to apprehend the accused 
because of political pressure from former Minister of State for 
Parliamentary Affairs Raza Hayat Hiraj of the Hiraj clan, whose 
kin, Qaswar Hiraj, she has named as one of the two abductors. 
Kabirwala Civil Hospital had also refused to conduct a medical 
check, which prompted Rafiq to go to the District Headquarters 
Hospital, Salamat detailed.  While Rafiq's First Information 
Report (FIR) lanquishes in the police station, the Hiraj family 
filed counter-charges against Rafiq's family, including her 
near-paralyzed father, Salamat noted.  Salamat pointed out that 
the lodging of Rafiq's nine-person family in the shelter, the 
hiring of two lawyers, and the three-hour commutes to Kabirwala 
has drained MMWWO's resources.  [Note: Kristof advises readers 
to donate to MMWWO through Mercy Fund at www.mercycorps.org. 
End Note.] 
 
- - - 
Nazim Hiraj Unaware of Case 
- - - 
 
¶4. (SBU) In a telcon with FSNoff, Khanewal district nazim Ahmad 
Yar Hiraj claimed that he did not know about the case.  Told 
that Rafiq has named Qaswar Hiraj as one of the perpetrators, 
Ahmad Yar replied, "well, he's a criminal."  However, he doubted 
that former Minister Raza Hayat Hiraj had pressured local 
authorities since, Ahmad Yar claimed, he has fallen ill for 
several months overseas.  Ahmad Yar promised to look into the 
case and report back. 
 
- - - 
Hamza Sharif Wants Justice Done 
- - - 
 
¶5. (SBU) Informed by A/PO of Kristof's article, son of the Chief 
Minister and Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Hamza 
Sharif wrote down the details of Rafiq's case during a July 28 
meeting.  He lamented that such breakdowns in law-and-order have 
occurred, and conveyed his father's pledge to correct the 
unequal treatment of women in Punjab.  He bemoaned the immunity 
that police enjoyed, and said that he would follow up with the 
local authorities.  "We must fix this situation," he asserted. 
 
- - - 
Comment: Crime Shows Societal Breakdown in Khanewal 
 
LAHORE 00000155  002 OF 002 
 
 
- - - 
 
¶6. (SBU) One of the south Punjab districts targeted by USAID, 
Khanewal has a legacy of abuse that has led to the rise of 
militancy in the region.  The extreme poverty in Khanewal and 
the impunity enjoyed by local politicians and police have 
created a toxic combination.  The development assistance planned 
for the district will have little impact if incidents such as 
Rafiq's continue to recur.  In his report of the tragedy, 
Kristof editorializes that the U.S. has "stood aloof from the 
ubiquitous injustices in Pakistan," which has produced 
"cynicism" among the population about U.S. intentions. 
Reinforcement of the social and law enforcement structure that 
could prevent such horrible crimes from occurring, and quickly 
prosecuting injustice when it occurs, could help counter the 
rise of extremism and promote U.S. values as much as development 
assistance. 
LOWE