By Gul Nayab
ISLAMABAD: The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief court canceled on Thursday the bail granted to two accused by a session court in the case pertaining to the murder of Adeeba, and ordered to arrest them for further interrogation.
A two-judge bench consisting of the Chief Justice GB Chief Court Malik Haq Nawaz and Justice Ali Baig was hearing the bail cancellation case.
The state prosecutor on August 16 had filed an appeal in court for the cancellation of bail of two accused, Samim Shah and his son Fahim Shah, in the Adeeba murder case amid protests in different parts of Gilgit-Baltistan and other cities of Pakistan seeking justice for the victim and an end to rising violence against women.
According to sources, during the hearing, the public prosecutor drew the court’s attention to the termination of bail. The sources said that the most important component on which the bail could be revoked was the statement of Adeeba’s husband and the statement given by the magistrate of Gojal at the time of recovery of the body. The detailed decision will be known only after the court order comes.
The sources said that the husband’s statement was a confession of crime in which it was stated that Adeeba was killed by her father-in-law and brother-in-law. According to the magistrate’s statement, the culprits had also confessed to the crime before the magistrate and were shown the place where the murder took place. A stone was recovered from the scene, according to the perpetrators with the help of which she was killed and later strangled to death.
After listening to the detailed arguments of the state prosecutor, the court decided to cancel the bail of the accused and directed the police to arrest them.
The activists and civil society members expressed satisfaction over the cancelation of the bail of the accused and hoped that the case will be taken to its logical conclusion.
Sharing his views about the case, a political activist from the region Asif Sakhi said Adeeba was not the only case but many similar cases were put behind the veil of honor, religion, and the so-called culture. He stressed that this must be the final case, and the same should not go for any other female member of society.
He demanded to equip each police station with female constables so that women-related issues will get resolve comfortably. He also demanded a forensic lab in GB to investigate such kinds of cases. Sakhi stressed the need for training for police personals to investigate such crimes. He stated that he was witnessing a positive development in the society as young women from Gojal were on roads to demand their rights and also justice for Adeeba.
According to the FIR, Adeeba was killed by her in-laws in June after seven months of her marriage threw her body at a nearby riverbank and showed it as a suicide. The police arrested the in-laws of the victim on the complaint of the woman’s family members.