Important Update!
June 23, 2023: Mummand Boota, the rapist of Aliza has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Ghazala Yasmine of local court.
Eight-year-old Christian Girl Aliza Raped
Aliza is eight years old. Her father, Younis Masih, is a day-labourer, paid day by day to meet household needs. Aliza’s father has five children–one boy and four girls. Due to poverty, they don’t go to school. Younis Masih and his family reside in a village on the outskirts of Sahiwal. Aliza’s birth record shows that she was born June 1, 2013.
On September 2, at around 5 p.m., Aliza’s parents sent her to find out if the doctor’s clinic, situated in the same street as their house, was open. Seeing the girl coming, a resident of the neighborhood, Muhammad Boota Malang, threw a stone at the girl from behind to stop her. He then took her to a deserted compound where he raped her and ran away from the scene.
When Aliza did not come back home after a few hours, the parents started searching for her. She was found crying on the corner of the second street and bleeding. When she was asked what had happened, the poor girl told the story. Aliza was rushed to the hospital’s emergency ward. After an initial medical examination, Dr. Zari, a female gynaecologist, shifted Aliza to the gynecology ward of the DHQ hospital, where a panel of doctors confirmed the rape of eight-year-old Aliza.
The case was mentioned on social media. IG Punjab took notice of the news on police media and sought a report of the incident from the Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sahiwal. After registering a case, they started searching for the accused, and arrested Muhammad Boota within 24 hours. The Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs Ejaz Alam Augustine from the Punjab government also reached Sahiwal and visited Aliza and the affected family at DHQ Hospital.
The affected family appeal for justice from the high court of Lahore, Pakistan.