The high-profile case involving the alleged gangrape of a twenty-year-old Azerbaijani woman in Pakistan's Punjab province has taken a dramatic turn. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has leveled serious allegations, claiming that the judge presiding over the matter accepted a bribe from the prime suspect in exchange for granting him bail. Maryam Nawaz further revealed that the main accused, Ahmed Tanveer, had allegedly offered the victim seventy thousand US dollars to retract the accusations she made against him.
Victim Visited Pakistan For Business Purposes
According to police records, the twenty-year-old native of Baku arrived in Pakistan in mid-September this year on a business trip. On September twenty-fifth, two women took her to a cafe in Lahore's Defense Housing Authority area, where three men subsequently joined them. Based on the victim's statement, these men later offered to escort her and her two female companions to their destination. Police noted that the suspects then diverted the Azerbaijani national to an apartment where they consumed alcohol and subsequently subjected her to a gangrape.
Police Action And Legal Proceedings
Law enforcement authorities initially arrested two male suspects and both women in connection with the crime, while Ahmed Tanveer remained out on bail. However, on Friday, despite an extension of his pre-arrest bail duration, police apprehended Tanveer right outside the sessions court in Lahore. Defending this move, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz posted on the social media platform X, stating that no rapist or criminal can escape justice simply because of wealth. She pointed out that investigations revealed the suspect's affluent family had offered the victim two billion Pakistani rupees, roughly equivalent to seventy-two thousand US dollars, to drop the charges, even though her statement had already been recorded under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Serious Questions Raised Over Judicial Integrity
Maryam Nawaz asserted that allegations also point toward the judge who granted bail having accepted financial inducements. She warned that if these claims hold true, they raise deeply troubling questions regarding the integrity of the judicial system and the severe dangers posed by financial leverage and the abuse of power over victims of sexual violence.
High Drama Outside The Courtroom
On Friday, the accused appeared before Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal alongside his legal counsel. The defense presented a video statement from the complainant in court, wherein she appeared to withdraw the charges previously leveled against the three accused individuals. The judge subsequently extended Tanveer's pre-arrest bail until Tuesday. When the petitioner's legal team expressed fears that he might be rearrested within the court premises despite holding bail, the judge instructed security guards to ensure the accused could exit safely.
Clashes Erupt During The Rearrest
Nevertheless, the moment the suspect stepped outside the court grounds, police personnel intercepted and arrested him despite fierce resistance from his associates. The confrontation led to a physical scuffle between the two sides, resulting in several injuries. Authorities subsequently detained several of the suspect's supporters as well. Meanwhile, the father of the accused alleged that the Crime Control Department of the Punjab Police illegally abducted his son and voiced fears that the agency might eliminate him in a staged encounter.
