Police in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi have arrested a man for allegedly raping a Pakistani-American doctor. The Frere police, which registered the first information report (FIR), has identified the arrested man as Yasir Shah, and says he belongs to a politically influential family of Balochistan.
The complainant, who is a Pakistani-American doctor, told the police that Shah took her to his car parked inside his house in Karachi and raped her on November 15. She alleged that the suspect also beat her when she offered resistance.
The victim’s medical examination was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Frere SHO Waqar Tanoli said doctors at JPMC had confirmed the woman was raped.
Sex offenders have often escaped punishment in Pakistan because of the lax laws. But now the situation is changing. Pakistani lawmakers have adopted a legislation providing chemical castration for serial rapists amid growing public demand for action following several high-profile rape and child sexual abuse cases.
A bill passed by a joint session of parliament on November 17 states that the government must establish special courts to expedite rape trials and ensure sexual abuse cases are decided “expeditiously, preferably within four months.” The proposed law will now go to President Arif Alvi for signing.
Chemical castration is a drug or hormone treatment that temporarily suppresses sex drive.