National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights has ordered a fresh investigation into the case of Ayat Noor, a young girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The committee was briefed on the case by National Assembly member Babar Nawaz, who alleged that police had failed to properly investigate the girl’s disappearance and death.
According to Babar Nawaz, Ayat Noor’s parents told him that, for the first two days after their daughter went missing, they had to convince police that they were legally married.
He also alleged that a female deputy superintendent of police in Haripur accused Ayat Noor’s mother of killing her daughter, while police allegedly pressured the girl’s father into giving a statement under Section 164.
Nawaz said police only began taking the case more seriously after protests were held demanding Ayat Noor’s recovery.
The girl’s body was recovered on the 15th day after her disappearance. A post-mortem report reportedly estimated that the body had been dead for around seven days.
Babar Nawaz said this raised the possibility that Ayat Noor may have remained alive for several days after being thrown into a well.
He said the governor and chief minister of KP, visited the area soon after the body was found.
Three children were arrested 15 days after Ayat Noor went missing. Nawaz questioned how the suspects had been identified and whether there was sufficient evidence linking them to the crime.
He also questioned the account of an 11-year-old boy who allegedly took Ayat Noor from her home, asking when the boy had told investigators that three other boys had taken custody of her.
Nawaz further alleged that the same police officers who were responsible for investigating the case were now conducting the inquiry, despite accusations of negligence against them.
He described the police investigation so far as deeply flawed and questioned claims that arrests had been made using geofencing data, given that the children involved reportedly did not have mobile phones.
The committee member Shamsher Ali Mazari said allegations of police negligence must also be investigated fully.
