Re: Sonia Naz
This is an earlier link, from september 8th, the time when Asim came out of hiding to give his side of the story. It was before the divorce issue as he speaks in support of Sonia. Its a long but detailed article.
Sonia’s missing husband is back
Asim claims SP Abdullah forced him to go into hiding after taking bribe for his release and warning he and his family would pay dearly if he appeared before 2 years.
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: He is back — from the perceived dead as it were — and there is now a serious possibility of getting to the denouement of a case, which has had the country’s riveted attention this past week.
In a dramatic development, Asim Yousaf, husband of Sonia Naz, Wednesday emerged from hiding to reveal a shocking plethora of how, when, what, where and why related to the case.
On the run for eight months, Yousaf told The News in an exclusive interview that he had, in fact, been in hiding following a warning of dire consequences from the prime accused in the scandal, SP Abdullah, as a price for his freedom.
“I paid him Rs1.4million for my release (this is apart from the Rs2.2 million he ended up paying initially, to a notorious gang allegedly in cahoots with the Faisalabad Police and another Rs0.2 lakhs to Jamshed Chisti for the same reason). SP Abdullah had premised my freedom on the condition that I would excommunicate myself from my family members for two years,” he said.
However, in what appeared to be a departure from what is known until now about the horrific story, Asim revealed he contacted his wife after he learnt she was allegedly raped by SP Abdullah and his subordinate SHO Jamshed Chishti, recently.
Asim says he asked his wife to keep the contact under wraps, warning that any leak would lead to SP Abdullah to eliminating the entire family. When Sonia was contacted last night and confronted with her husband’s claim, she admitted that they had, indeed, been in touch recently but that she was compelled to remain silent for fear of reprisal at the hands of the dreaded police officials.
“(In the event of disclosure) the life of my husband and children would have been at stake,” she explained. Asim has a reason to go public with his story. “I am breaking my silence now because I know police will kill me at all costs. But, before dying at the hands of the police, I want to tell my story to the people of Pakistan particularly, when my wife has been raped, my aging parents are suffering the worst humiliation of their lives and my two young children are on the verge of losing their father,” Asim pointed out.
Bitter to the bone about what happened, Asim fears the worst is yet to come. “The worst is yet to come. My aged parents and married sisters are pressurizing me to divorce my wife Sonia after her rape - without realising the fact that she is the mother of my two children and has fought like a heroine to secure my freedom and, in the process, paid a heavy price,” he avers.
His family has presented Asim a dilemma, too. “If I don’t divorce my wife, then my parents and sisters have threatened not to see my face for rest of their lives. I don’t know what to do,” he says, exasperated.
Total recall: In a disclosure, which is bound to shake the foundation of the case, Asim alleged he was, in fact, freed by SP Abdullah on oath over the Holy Quran - and at a price. "What has happened with my family particularly, my wife, children and ailing parents in my long absence has made me break my word finalised over the holy book with SP Abdullah Khalid.
"I admit I have been a coward but now I am ready to die to save my family from complete annihilation and will surrender myself to the Inquiry team led by DIG Zafar Qureshi. But he feared he might not live to see a new dawn in his and his family’s life.
"You will see, the police will kill me in custody or propagate that I have committed suicide or even that I had died because of heart attack’, the shaken 31-year-old said. He repeatedly told this correspondent that he feared this would be his last meeting with any journalist as now he planned to contact the inquiry team in Lahore.
Recalling his alleged illegal police confinement of 15 days, he recounted brutal torture, paying ransom amounting to Rs1.4million to win freedom, escape from police custody and an 8-month journey to survive tough conditions. He said his period in hiding took him to mosques to find solace among religious preachers all over Pakistan.
Asim said he was hoping against hope that one day he would reunite with his family after completing what he said was a deal with SP Abdullah that stipulated he would remain in hiding for two years.
The charge: Recalling how he ended up being implicated in a scandal that gave birth to a thousand miseries for his family, Asim said: “I am innocent as I was working in a Token Branch whereas this scandal of fake registration occurred in the Registration Branch. I can prove my innocence… but who will believe me,” he said, expressing pessimism.
“I have been awarded punishment for crimes which I never committed. I have not murdered people that my family should have been treated the way it has been. Even if I had done anything wrong as alleged in five FIRs registered against me after my planned disappearance, this punishment makes a mockery of justice,” a tearful Asim said.
Asim said he had no idea life would take such a drastic turn that in less than a year nothing as he had know will remain the same.
“Hardly, one year ago, till June 2004, I was leading a normal life with my family. But, now, I have lost job, my entire family is on the run, my father wandering from one city to the other to avoid a police crackdown, my wife arrested in parliament, thrown in Adiala jail before being abducted and raped by none other than those who had taken Rs1.4million to set me free,” he said of the irony.
Union of sorrow: Asim disclosed he married Sonia in 2003 after his first marriage ended in a divorce. Sonia gave birth to a boy the following year and his family was just celebrating the arrival of a family heir when life took a drastic turn and Asim found himself in big trouble on June 2, 2004.
Recalling the day disaster struck, he said: "I was not in the office when one of my colleagues in the Excise Office Faisalabad informed me that police had raided the office and arrested many officials on charges of preparing fake registration papers of stolen vehicles whereupon the office was sealed. I was told not to come (to the office) lest I, too, would be arrested.
"I was also informed that police officials were torturing office employees as a case of bogus registration of cars in office was detected. Without waiting for any departmental inquiry, the police picked up at least 16 officials of different categories from the excise office.
“Fearing arrest and torture, I rushed to Lahore and took shelter there. I rented a house rent and started living with my family there,” he said. This however, did not prevent from trouble visiting Asim.
"One day, I was abducted from my Lahore residence by some people in plain clothes, leading me to suspect I was being taken into police custody. But, later it turned out to be an abduction for ransom by a Faisalabad gang, who, Asim alleged enjoyed the patronage of the Faisalabad police.
He said they demanded Rs2.2 million from his ailing father for his release, who sold of his National Certificates to seek his only son’s freedom.
Asim also gave the name of the branch manager, who he alleged, gave money to his father after encashing the saving certificates. The gang had abducted him on the presumption that he had minted money from the fake registration of motorcars in Excise Office. This, he said, they did after being led to believe so by the police.
Finally, he was released by the gang, involved in abduction-for-ransom. False alarm: "But, soon I got a call from my two office colleagues, who asked me that instead of remaining in hiding it was the best time for me to get my case settled as the police was releasing the accused in the scam after taking bribe.
"In the meanwhile, SP Abdullah Khalid picked up two brothers of the spouses of my sisters to force me to surrender. Upon this, my father, Malik Yousaf, sought court intervention and the bailiff recovered the young men from illegal confinement.
“Upon this, SP Abdullah threatened Yousaf that if he did not withdraw his petition from court, he would book the young men in some cases. This compelled my ailing father to strike a deal with the SP to get the brothers-in-law of his daughters freed to save his daughter’s marriage”. But this turned out to be a shot in the dark.
"The SP did not spare my father. As soon as he withdrew the petition from the court, he booked him in a fake case on charges of stealing cars!
“In the meanwhile, two employees of the Excise Office, Nadeem and Asif Bhatti, approached SP Abdullah on behalf of Asim and finally, it was agreed that Rs 1.4million will be paid to SP Abdullah following which he would set me free”.
The SP, Asim said, assured the family that if he was handed over to him after paying the money, everything would be alright. When the money was paid in advance to SP Abdullah after Asim’s father sold two of his shops in Faisalabad, Asim along with his family members appeared before the police, which took him into custody.
A pregnant Sonia used to visit him in police custody to provide him meals. SP Abdullah handed over Asim to Inspector Jamshed Chishti and Sub-Inspector Faiz to deal with him. They also wanted money from him and to this end, Chishti started torturing him. He was subjected to the worst kind of physical torture for 14 days before he agreed to give Rs200,000 to Chisti as well to save his own life. Chishti took Asim to his house in police custody and got the money he wanted.
He also warned Asim against informing SP Abdullah about the Rs0.2million he received. In the meanwhile, SP Abdullah continued to check the files of Excise Office and for three days the office remained closed. SP Abdullah took money from each accused Excise official after checking with the official record as to which official had done what and how much money he might have earned in the scam of registration of stolen cars. Chishti also got signed many documents and papers after subjecting him to severe torture.
The deal: "Finally, one fine morning, SP Abdullah summoned me and placed the Holy Quran before me. He asked me to perform ablution and then vow over the holy book before I would be allowed to disappear from police custody and not surface for two years.
I was also forbidden to contact my family members in these two years. Abdullah also vowed over the holy book that in exchange he would not harass my family," Asim revealed.
“SP Abdullah warned me in clear words that if I ever contacted my family or even made an appearance, not only would the police shoot me in a police encounter but also eliminate my entire family,” he recoiled in horror.
"This really frightened me since I had spent my entire life in luxury and was always a pampered child. So, I thought I had no choice but to cooperate with the police.
“After striking the deal, it was decided that I would be taken to one of my relative’s home from where I would flee and the police would propagate that I had absconded,” Asim disclosed.
Asim says he was then taken to his cousin’s house in Samnabad locality in Faisalabad from there he “fled” as planned. Subsequently, the police conducted a mock raid on the house of his cousin as well as torturing his cousin’s wife on charges of helping him escape.
Life in oblivion: Asim straightaway went to Raiwind and joined a group of religious preachers for reasons of survival. This served two purposes. First, he thought he would be safe with them as no-one had any idea he might be wandering all over Pakistan in the company of religious preachers. Secondly, it cost no money to him as everything was arranged free of cost.
In the meantime, he recalled, Sonia went to meet SP Abdullah to demand the release of her husband as agreed at the time.
Shocker for Sonia: In a shocker, the SP expressed his complete ignorance, which caught Sonia unawares as she surmised her husband may have been murdered in police custody and that now the police was trying to cover up the crime by feigning ignorance.
A panicked Sonia straightaway went to High Court and challenged the detention of her husband. This infuriated SP Abdullah as he thought that Asim had breached the commitment he had made as now he was not only in contact with his family but using her wife to harass the SP by approaching higher courts.
As a consequence, he first threatened Sonia and then, the parents of Asim. Sonia feared she might not be given justice and out of sheer frustration and in a desperate bid to save her husband’s life, she rushed to the Parliament, where she was arrested on charges of trespassing. She was subsequently, sent to Adiala jail.
In a counter-measure, SP Abdullah started a countrywide search to locate Asim. He started bugging the telephones of Sonia and Asim’s parents.
Asim was in Karachi with a group of religious preachers when he heard the stunning news of Sonia’s arrest in Parliament last April. He approached a friend in Islamabad and requested him to arrange a lawyer to get her bail with his children left in the lurch at home in her absence.
Even as Asim sought help, he forbade his friend from disclosing his whereabouts to Sonia. Even after Sonia was back from Adiala jail, Asim says he did not contact her. After a month’s break, he contacted his parents around May 27 and was shocked to learn that Sonia was not only abducted by SP Abdullah but also raped.
But even more appalling was the news that his parents had already driven her out of their home, on the premise that her very presence would ruin the lives of his sisters after her alleged rape.
Angered, he told his parents what they had done to Sonia was grossly unfair as this was none of her fault, moreso since she was only trying to rescue him. But, his parents did not listen to him at all and told him that if he did not divorce, they would not see his face again.
Entrapment: It was then that Asim realised he had blundered by not taking Sonia into confidence about his deal with SP Abdullah regarding the two-year condition of staying in hiding.
Asim confessed it was stupid of him to have been used by SP Abdullah, who, he alleges simply wanted a scapegoat to put the entire blame of registration scam on the shoulders of someone so that he could justify the release of other co-accused.
Asim laments he failed to figure out he was only helping the police to turn him into a proclaim offender and he was solely held responsible for the scam in excise department despite the fact that he was only dealing with the issuance of token.
Earlier, when he contacted his ailing father for the first time after he went into hiding, they thought he was out of the country. But, promising to remain in touch with them, he strictly forbade them from telling anyone, even Sonia about himself.
"Otherwise, not only my life would be endangered but there was also the present and clear danger that SP Abdullah would eliminate my whole family. I even told them not to bring it into the notice of Sonia because he feared a desperate Sonia would not allow him to stay in hiding or force him to take her and two children along with him.
But, the SP launched crackdown against the family anyway and, as a first step, his ailing father was implicated in a fake case, which forced his family to run.
Turnaround in fortunes: “We used to earn Rs80,000 per month from our thread mill in Faisalabad. Today, we are paupers. While my wife has been forced to take shelter in Asma Jahangir’s shelter home, my father, almost blind, has lost a hand in an accident and, along with my mother and sisters, was trying to avoid police raids,” Asim observed, somewhat poignantly.
When asked if it was true that his wife had been raped by SP Abdullah and Inspector Jamshed Chishti, he said his family members had confirmed that when Sonia returned home after 15 days, her condition was very bad because of severe torture and it was clear from physical signs that she was raped.
He said his parents had told him over phone that they had kicked her out after they saw her physical condition. Sonia insisted that she be medically examined and get an FIR registered. But, her parents thought Sonia would only bring more misfortunes for them as they were already hiding from police raids so they thought it fit to get rid of her and her children.
Asim believes the police had prepared a plan to teach a lesson to Sonia for first moving the Lahore High Court and then approaching the National Assembly. He said the LHC was to decide on the petition filed by Sonia on May 6 but she was abducted on May 3. On May 6, SP Abdullah gave a statement in LHC, saying Sonia would come out from hiding and allege she was abducted by police and raped.
Asim is at a loss to understand how could the police come to know that she would be abducted by someone and level the charges of abduction and rape against Abdullah and others.
Asim believes this well planned statement before a judge was an attempt to prepare the minds of court, public and media in advance to discredit Sonia so that even if she decided to bring her rape into the notice of all the concerned police officers, they would claim they had already warned the court beforehand about such possibility in advance.
Asim said when he heard the news of her abduction and rape from his family, he was stunned and did not know what to do. But, the most unbearable reality for Asim was watching his wife weep before television cameras, narrating her ordeal.
"I was deeply disappointed and depressed and thought that only God could give me justice. But, still I was afraid of death and thought I might be killed if I surrendered before the police. Date with destiny: Asim has virtually no hope in the future.
“The police will start torturing me the moment I surrender myself to the inquiry committee. They have no proof against me as I have done nothing. But, of course, I will be made to confess when they apply third degree methods,” Asim feared.
“I am ready to die now and would go Lahore to face my destiny. But, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I miss my two children,” Asim said before leaving The News office in Islamabad to surrender himself before police inquiry team led by DIG Zafar Qureshi in Lahore today.
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2005-daily/08-09-2005/main/main2.htm
