I dont know if this is the right forum. Ive been following Sonia’s story for a while. The story has a different twist and turn each day. Initially i viewed the situation as hopeless, cuz where an SP Khalid Abdullah is the man accused, a swift cover up is more than likely. However, when her husbands comes out of hiding and speaks out in support of Sonia, things suddenly begin to look up…until that is, her inlaws turn both her and her children out as they try to distance themselves from the media and protect their so called honour. Soon however, Supreme court takes on the case, and there is still some hope for justice, but what little there was, is marred as sonia’s husband files for a divorce under family pressure, leaving her on her own to seek justice. This, despite the fact she entered the parliament in the first place, merely to secure his release.
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2005-daily/13-09-2005/main/main3.htm
Sonia’s husband sends in divorce
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: Beleaguered Sonia Naz received another bolt from the blue yesterday. Only this time, it came from a man for whom she had staked her honour and even life – husband, Asim Yousaf.
He sent in his divorce. Sonia received a message Monday from her absconding husband that he was divorcing her as he “could not live with a woman about whom print media has been publishing stories for the last two weeks”.
Asim conveyed the message to Sonia residing, at Dastak Lahore, through her younger sister. He said he had taken the decision in consultation with his family members.
Earlier Sonia had sent a message to her in-laws that she along with her children wanted to live with them and they should take her from the shelter house.
Asim claimed he was under pressure from his parents and was forced to divorce her to thwart harmful affects of her episode on his married and unmarried sisters.
“From whom should I get justice for all that happened to me and this time no-one else but my own husband has wronged me. What is my fault,” asked a devastated Sonia while talking to The News on phone.
She further said, “When I recount what happened to me in last five months, I cannot believe that this is happening to me. First, I lost my husband to police, then I was arrested in the National Assembly, put in Adiala jail for three days, abducted, tortured and raped by cops, driven out of my in-laws house, forced to work as a domestic servant to earn for my kids and, now this. It is hard to believe I am the same girl who was living a very normal life only last year after marrying Asim. I wonder what more is in store for me?” Sonia said.
In a strange move, Asim also sent photocopies of Urdu newspaper reports about their portrayal of Sonia’s character to justify his decision to divorce her.
“I feel I have lost everything after getting a message of divorce from my husband, someone for whom I struggled for a year and suffered enormously in the process,” a sobbing Sonia said.
She said, "Whatever happened to me was the direct outcome of an year’s persistent efforts to get the father of my two kids released from illegal custody. Now, the same man for whom I suffered so much has decided to desert me in this world and our kids.
“Where will I go? I cannot even get a job to earn bread for my children because everyone knows that Sonia is a raped woman”.
Of reports in the vernacular dailies, she said, “I am amazed to read stories about my past life and wonder what have I done to deserve this?”
She said she was an educated person, who believed in fighting injustice. "That was why, I decided to take on the cops when destroyed my family. But, now I am being taught a lesson by the society and media for breaking my silence against those who dishonoured me.
"I never expected all this, particularly from Asim, for whom, I did everything conceivable to get him justice.
Despite paying millions of rupees to the police, Asim could not win freedom. I had absolutely no idea that one day he, too, would leave me at a stage when I was taking shelter in Asma Jehangir’s Dastak – away from my children who are being taken care of by my mother and sister," Sonia said.
She said, “Asim might have accepted me even after the rape as he was initially convinced this was not my fault. Rather, he used to consider himself responsible for this tragedy. But, ever since the slander campaign against my character started making the rounds, he seems to have been misled and decided to leave me,” Sonia said.
Sonia said the most painful thing for her was that Asim did not even wait for the outcome of the case she was pursuing to get justice.
"All government functionaries do is to come and partake photo-ops. I am living like a prisoner in Dastak as 20 cops are guarding me round the clock.
Even women police constables sleep in the same room where I go to bed. They don’t even allow me to go to the bathroom on my own. I cannot meet my family. My children are away from me. I am sick of every thing," said Sonia totally exasperated.
‘Let Pakistan know what happened to me’
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-daily/30-08-2005/main/main2.htm
