Mukhtar Mai Accuses Jamshed Dasti of Harassment

In an interview with the famous English paper Express Tribune, Mukhtar Mai has accused Pakistan Peoples Party’s legislator Jamshed Dasti of threatening her so as to make her withdraw her case against her rapists. Dasti is said to have admitted to try to influence Mukhtar Mai’s decision and persuade her for a conciliation, though he doesn’t seem to be admitting that he threatened Mai.

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Mukhtar Mai was gang raped in Southern Punjab in 2002. The rape took place by the orders of a ‘punjayat’ (a committee of the village’s elders) who found Mai’s brother guilty of having illicit relations with a woman of the family of the rapists. In retaliation, the ‘punjayat’ ordered the men to rape Mai. After her rape, Mai’s case was highlighted by BBC and soon it spread like fire in the international media, finally involving Pakistani human rights activists. Mai is now pursuing her case filed against the rapists. After all those years, Mai still hasn’t got justice from the judiciary but hopes to see justice done soon.

Jamshed Dasti, on the other hand, continues to criticize Mai, stressing that she should make a compromise and withdraw her allegations against the rapists who are in police prison. Dasti emphatically states that the imprisoned people are innocent. He also continues to criticize Mai for receiving support from Non-Muslim NGOS.