10-year-old Fatima case: Suspect Asad Shah appears in court

Pir Asad Shah, compounder Imtiaz and driver Ijaz were produced in an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the rape and suspicious death of 10-year-old Fatima in Ranipur Haveli, Khairpur.

The suspects were produced in the court after the completion of seven day physical remand.

According to the Khairpur police, the investigation has not been completed yet, so they will seek further remand.

Khairpur police has also said that Hina Shah and father Fayaz Shah, also accused in the case, are still on the run.

Fatima’s case

A domestic maid, 10-year-old child Fatima Phuriro, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur.

The child had been working as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.

Fatima’s mother, Shabana, was informed about the death by the employer who asked her to remove the body from the premises where two of Fatima’s sisters were also employed.

According to DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani, the parents initially did not share the facts of the case with the police and claimed that the girl was suffering from gastroenteritis. While her diagnosis was also confirmed by Dr Abdul Fatah Memon who treated her, the DIG revealed that Fatima was taken to the hospital either by the Pir or his staff and that the SHO was present at the time she was pronounced dead.

It was not until videos of the child were leaked by an unknown source and circulated in social media that the case caught media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.

The body was later exhumed and sent for an autopsy which revealed that the girl had been raped both vaginally and anally.