ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday brought back attention to the Tayyaba torture case by passing directives to pick up speed leading to a prosecution witness, Assistant Commissioner Nisha Ishtiaq, recording her statement and the police presenting case-related evidence in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
10-year-old Tayyaba, who was working as a domestic worker at former additional district and sessions judge Raja Khurram Ali and his wife Maheen, had suffered severe abuse at the hands of the couple.
The session was presided over by IHC Judge Amir Farooq during which Nisha Ishtiaq testified that she had recorded Tayyaba’s statement once the child was handed over to her by police.
“Tayyaba had wounds on her face and hands, and she didn’t know the address of her village,” said the assistant commissioner.
She further apprised the court that she had not directed the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) as doing so was not in her official capacity. “The FIR was filed on the orders of the concerned authorities,” she clarified.
The IHC had so far testified seven witnesses and has now issued summons for Constables Naseem, Mariam, Ghulam, and another trio of witnesses to corroborate in future hearings, adjourning the hearing until January 19.
The Tayyaba torture case came up in December 2016 when Maria Hayat, a neighbour of the accused, took her anguish to social media by uploading pictures of the heavily injured child working as a domestic helper subsequently causing a hullabaloo that led the police to take custody of the girl after recovering her from the former judge’s house.
