A claim that an accused in Quetta raped 200 women, made videos of the victims and blackmailed them, has created a sense of insecurity and spread feelings of utter disappointment about the rule of law in the country. No one knows how many such monsters are on the loose in society, who are victimizing innocent souls. The news has caused outrage on Twitter with hashtag #HIDAYAT_THE_RAPIST trending as netizens express their rage on the incident and demand justice for the girls and Hidayat Khilji and his brother to be severely punished. Hidayat Khilji was reportedly involved in a gang that raped girls after luring them into the trap by offering them jobs. The girls were intoxicated by the accused before being raped by the gang, who also made obscene videos of the girls which were later used for blackmailing. According to statistics, an average of 10 rape cases are reported in Pakistan every day with over 22,000 rape cases reported to the police in the last six years. Eighty five percent of these have been from Punjab. However, only 77 of those accused have been convicted which comprises 0.3% of the total figure.
Who is to be blamed for the presence of such heinous offenders in our society – the parents, who raised such perverted minds, the economic conditions or the justice system in our society. Why do such happenings repeat again and again in our society? Unless the society itself stands against such culprits, no change is possible. A nation-wide awareness campaign is needed against the crime along with stringent punishment for the culprits.
Fortunately, the Quetta Police have arrested the main accused and his accomplice. They have also recovered obscene videos of the girls from their laptop, mobiles, and other devices which were taken from their possession. Although the government has introduced chemical castration as a possible punishment for serial rapists under the law, yet faster trials of suspected sexual offenders are also necessary to nip the evil in the bud.
