As far as human rights are concerned, Pakistan has a horrific track record.  Be it the rights of women, children, minorities, differently abled people etc, the country stands as an equal opportunity aggressor for all vulnerable groups.  As far as crimes against minors go, a new case is brought forward every day showcasing atrocities against them.  The most talked about series of crimes committed in this area at the moment are the grooming gangs in Britain.  These gangs have ruined the lives of thousands of girls.  In fact, the makers of a new documentary released in March 2023 claims to be receiving phone calls from dozens of effected girls on daily basis.

“This is going on today. We’ve been approached by 60 victims in the last three days who are currently being failed by the police.” Maggie Oliver

If we talk about Pakistan, there is rampant incest and pedophilia in practice, and most of the perpetrators go free because of loss of ineffective infrastructure and corrupt officials.  Most of the incest cases go unreported because of black mark to the family etc.  Last, a social media personality and children activist tweeted about a 6-month-old girl who was fathered by her maternal grandfather.  The mother of this child was 15-years-old and was unable to look after her.


According to Shandana Gulzar, a PTI politician, with 82% of the girls raped in Pakistan, the perpetrators are father, uncle, brother, grandfathers.  These statistics are reported by the NGO called War Against Rape (WAR).  As for minor boys, the largest scandal to surface in the country was the Kasur mass rape and child pornography syndicate, where more than 700 children were raped and filmed multiple times.  The notorious child pornography scandal came to the forefront in 2015. A small town called Hussain Khanwala in the district became the talk of the world when it was revealed that a large number of young men all in their 20s, had been carrying out sexual abuse, rape and sodomy of young boys and girls for months and year. At the time, more than 400 videos of these victims also surfaced. Police arrested a number of suspects but the big wigs who were leading the gang and making money from the videos and blackmail of the victims were never revealed. Later on, some of the criminals involved in this syndicate were given party tickets by Nawaz Sharif’s PML N for the following elections. 

The normalising of this act is so blatant in some parts of the country, that one can find pedophiles advertising themselves alongwith their contact numbers on social media. In Pashtu language, the act is called ‘Pedarasti’, and in Urdu it is called ‘Bacheybazi’.

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In a separate part of the country, a retired government teacher was found to be running a group sex / rape racket with children. Sarang Shar raped more than 150 students and video taped them over previous several years. He then used the tapes to blackmail the children as well as their families to ensure they keep doing what he wanted them too. Needless to say, he was selling the data on the dark web to child porn and pedo sites. Shar had a reputation of being a serial abuser and was even caught some time back by locals of the area where he used to live previously. Shar was so well connected with corrupt officials of the area, that despite numerous complains he was never arrested. There was no police report against him, no complain filed, until one brave family came forward to register an FIR against him on 7th July 2020.  The complain was made by  parents of an 11 year old victim.  The FIR was written in a way where no mention of him filming the little boy was made, and the gravity of his crimes were not covered.  Later on, 2 more families registered FIR against him, and all were written purposely in a weak manner.  Yesterday, a local court dismissed all three FIRs, and released Sarang Shar due to insufficient evidence. The pedophile is free to roam in the streets and parks full of children.

Engaging in sexual activities with under aged children is an act condoned in some cultures which are a part of Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Additionally, the scripture has mentioned how to treat your ‘wife’, one who is so young that she has not started her menstruation in this verse

“…As for your women past the age of menstruation, in case you do not know, their waiting period is three months, and those who have not menstruated as well” Quran, 65:4

This verse is explained in the most authentic Hadith and Tafseer book Sahih Bukhari”If you have any doubt” (65:4) means if you do not know whether she menstruates or not. Those who do not longer menstruate and those who have not yet menstruated, their ‘idda is three months.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Chapter 68: Book of Tafsir

The revered text and Hadith both have refrained from condemning the act of pedophilia, whereas there are clear instructions when it comes to sex outside of marriage or out of wedlock.  With this knowledge on hand, this gross act is used freely by the followers, a large number of who reside in Pakistan.

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