Twelve people have been arrested in Pakistan’s Punjab province after two families agreed to settle a rape case through sanctioning a second sexual assault, with police uncovering the shocking arrangement when the groups attempted to formalise their agreement in legal documents.
The disturbing incident occurred in Pir Mahal in the Toba Tek Singh district, where on March 20, a man identified as Wasim Shehzad was accused of raping a woman in the Gharibabad locality. What followed was a chilling example of how traditional village justice systems continue to operate outside Pakistan’s legal framework, with devastating consequences for women.
According to Sub-Inspector Shaukat Ali Javed of the Pir Mahal Police, who discovered the case and reported it to his superiors, the suspect’s family had approached the victim’s family seeking “pardon and reconciliation.” The victim’s family agreed to forgive the rapist, but only on one horrific condition: that the victim’s brother would be permitted to rape the suspect’s sister.
“The victim’s family placed a condition that her brother would commit the same act with the suspect’s sister for reconciliation, and 12 members of both families approved the idea in a joint meeting,” police officials confirmed. The so-called revenge rape was carried out on March 21, just one day after the families reached their agreement.
The case came to light when both families were preparing stamp paper documents mentioning the two incidents and their decision not to initiate legal action against each other. Sub-Inspector Javed noticed these documents and immediately reported the matter to his superiors, leading to the arrest of all 12 people who attended the meeting, including four women, one of whom was the victim of the second rape.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered by Pirmahal police under sections 376, 310-A, 201 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The two girls and two boys involved in both assaults were taken to Lahore for DNA testing to support the prosecution. A judicial magistrate issued a 14-day judicial remand for all 12 accused.
Women’s rights activists have condemned the incident as another example of Pakistan’s failure to protect women from violence. “No cultural traditions can justify attacks on women and girls. Violence against them is always the opposite of justice. Female bodies are not commodities to be bartered for the settling of scores,” said human rights campaigners responding to the case.
The Punjab Assembly saw immediate political action, with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Hina Pervez Butt submitting a resolution condemning the revenge rape. The resolution stated that the panchayat gave the punishment of rape to the perpetrator’s sister and that an agreement was signed on stamp paper not to take any legal action.
This case echoes a similar incident that shocked Pakistan in July 2017, when a village council in Multan ordered the rape of a 16-year-old girl as revenge after her brother was accused of raping a 12-year-old. In that case, the assault was reportedly carried out in front of the girl’s parents and 40 members of the village council, leading to the arrest of 25 people.
Pakistan’s informal village councils, known as jirgas or panchayats, have no legal standing but continue to wield significant influence in rural areas. These councils typically consist of local elders who settle disputes according to tribal customs that often predate modern law. The practice of ‘vanni’ – where virgin female relatives of accused men are handed over to victim families as punishment in cases of rape, murder or kidnapping – remains disturbingly common.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), violence against women remains endemic in the country. Recent reports indicate that over 2,000 cases of domestic violence, 500 cases of honour killings, and 5,000 cases of rape were reported across Pakistan in 2024, with conviction rates below 2 per cent.
The United Nations ranks Pakistan 143rd out of 144 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. Human rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in so-called “honour killings” every year, though reliable data remains scarce due to underreporting.
Mehdi Hasan, HRCP’s chairperson, explained the persistence of these practices: “The village council system was brought about in the subcontinent at a time when we did not have courts or the rule of law as we have today. This is a 400-year-old system, and to keep it in place even today is damaging both to democracy and to the rule of law.”
The maximum punishment for rape under Pakistani law is the death penalty or imprisonment of between ten and twenty-five years. For gang rape cases, the punishment is either death penalty or life imprisonment. However, enforcement remains weak, particularly in rural areas where traditional justice systems hold sway.
Women’s rights activist Shazia Khan, based in Lahore, explained why these councils persist: “For many villagers, cases are immediately sorted out and a verdict is given. For them it appears to be speedy justice.” Pakistan’s courts are slow and expensive for the country’s poor, driving many to seek resolution through traditional means.
The case has reignited debate about Pakistan’s struggle to protect women from violence and the urgent need for reform. While the country has passed progressive legislation in recent years, including the establishment of Violence Against Women Centres, implementation remains patchy, particularly in rural areas where patriarchal traditions run deep.
As the 12 accused await trial, women’s rights advocates continue to call for stronger enforcement of existing laws and the complete abolition of parallel justice systems that treat women as property to be bartered in the settlement of disputes. Until meaningful reform occurs, Pakistan’s most vulnerable citizens remain at risk from practices that have no place in the modern world.
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