From case to settlement – Here’s everything you need to know about the Gharida Farooqi’s child abuse case
Although Naseema Bibi was eager to pursue the case against anchorperson Gharida Farooqi, she withdrew the FIR later.
The matter between renowned anchorperson Gharida Farooqi and Naseema Bibi has now been settled. Did you know what happened?
Here’s what happened:
Naseema Bibi approached the Lahore police station claiming that her daughter, Amna Zafar, was being kept imprisoned in illegal detention at the anchorperson’s house. The girl, Amna Zafar, was recovered by the police after her mother approached the law enforcers.
However, the girl’s mother, Naseema Bibi, took to Sunder police station to maintain that her daughter had been working in Gharida’s house for the last two months and was then fired. Claims in her FIR read:
Upon demanding her two-month salary, the anchorperson told us that she was not firing the girl and we should keep her at Gharida’s house. For two days, we were able to contact her, but for the last three days, she was barred from contacting us. Then we recovered Amna through the police.
Amna Zafar’s account of what happened
Speaking to a media outlet, Amna Zafar said:
”I was forced to live locked in a room with no food and was once also beaten by Ms. Farooqi during the three days of illegal detention”.
The Plot Twist
Although Naseema Bibi was eager to pursue the case against anchorperson Gharida Farooqi, she withdrew the FIR. According to police officials, Ms. Farooqi paid a sum of Rs. 45,000 to the mother to settle the matter. Following the settlement payment, Naseema visited the police station to share that she is not pursuing the case against the anchorperson now.
Gharida Farooqi’s History of detaining Domestic Workers
Police officials recovered another teenage domestic worker, Sonia, from the residence of anchorperson Gharida Farooqi last month. The 15-year-old child’s parent, Muhammad Munir, alleged that Ms. Farooqi had kept their daughter in illegal detention.
The father filed a habeas corpus petition in a local court, alleging that his daughter was illegally confined at the respondent’s residence, Gharida Farooqi, who not only subjected her to torture but kept her from meeting her parents. The court directed the police to recover the detainee from the illegal and improper custody of the anchorperson and produce her in the court. Additional District and Sessions Judge Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry had directed the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sundar police to recover the detainee and produce her before the court.
Before the recovery was made, sound recordings of three phone calls — allegedly between Farooqi and a woman named Shazia — had circulated widely on social media. In the recorded exchange, Shazia accused Farooqi of torturing the girl and refusing her an opportunity to meet with her parents. Both allegations were denied strongly by the woman presumed to be Farooqi, who asked for proof of her wrongdoing.
Now that another girl, Amna Zafar, has been recovered from the anchorperson’s house under a case of child abuse, things have gotten serious. Will relevant authorities take note of the matter, or will they wait until another girl is allegedly illegally imprisoned at Gharida Farooqi’s house?
What are your thoughts on this? Please share with us in the comment section below.
