Riaz Hussain :
Mardan – Police in Takhtbhai on Thursday arrested Imran, son of Dua Khan, after the Additional District and Sessions Judge (Court No. 1), Syed Hassan Raza Shah, cancelled his interim pre-arrest bail.
The suspect, who had earlier secured bail on September 5, was taken into custody directly from the courtroom and shifted to Saro Shah Police Station for further investigation.
According to the FIR, the case involves a violent assault on Afzania, daughter of Ikram, a beautician from Gaju Khan Bazaar, Mardan. Police said that on August 26, Imran allegedly lured her to a rented house in Sher Afghan Town, Takhtbhai, under the pretext of marriage. There, he allegedly raped her, refused to marry her, and then shot her with a pistol, leaving her critically injured before fleeing the scene in his vehicle.
The victim later registered a complaint at Saro Shah Police Station, leading to charges under Sections 376 (rape) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Rising Violence Against Women
This case reflects a disturbing rise in violence against women in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported that over 63 women were murdered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the first half of 2025, many of them victims of domestic violence or honour-related crimes.
In Punjab, police recorded more than 1,200 cases of rape and attempted rape in just six months. Nationwide in 2024, a total of 32,617 cases of gender-based violence were reported, including:
5,339 incidents of rape
24,439 abductions and kidnappings
2,238 domestic violence cases
547 honour killings
Conviction rates, however, remain alarmingly low. The Aurat Foundation has warned that at least 10 women face serious violence every day in Pakistan, ranging from sexual assault and honour killings to acid attacks and forced marriages.
Local Cases in Mardan
Mardan has also witnessed several shocking incidents in recent months. Police arrested four suspects after a teenage girl was harassed at a private event and the video was circulated online. In another case, two transgender women were stabbed to death in their home, with three suspects later arrested.
Police records show that over 25 cases of violence against women have been registered in Mardan district alone since January 2025, including attempted murders, rapes, and abductions.
