Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a Kohistan sessions’ judge to submit an inquiry report on video scandal case in two weeks.
The case is about killing of five girls and three men from Kohistan who were declared alive following the court’s suo moto hearing in 2012.
A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan directed the judge to visit the crime scene along with the relevant district police officer and a senior female police officer and submit a report after probing the issue and the alleged negligence of authorities.
The Kohistan video scandal made headlines in 2012 when three boys and five girls were allegedly killed by members of their tribe after a mobile phone video of them dancing at a wedding in a remote village in Kohistan emerged on social media.
Mohammad Afzal Kohistani, brother of the boys seen in the video who were allegedly killed by members of their tribe, had earlier demanded the authorities, through the media, to protect his brothers.
The apex court had taken suo moto notice of the Kohistan video case in 2012 when reports emerged that clerics had allegedly issued orders for the killing of the boys and girls in the video.
The case was closed when the court established the girls were alive.
Kohistani’s counsel urged the court today to summon the girls and hold an in-camera hearing. He claimed that his client had left his permanent residence and would be killed if he returned. He alleged that residents of the area did not wish to testify as witnesses in the case.
DPO Kohistan Abdul Majeed appeared before the court and argued that no women police officers above the rank of deputy superintendent of police were available.
The defence lawyer gave the argument that the cultural norms of the area would make it difficult to convince the girls for court appearance.
Justice Afzal remarked that women appeared as witness in a majority of cases he had heard pertaining to Kohistan.
The counsel for the defence argued that the June 20 judicial orders paved the way for reopening the case after submission of additional evidence.
The hearing of the case has been adjourned for two weeks.
