Usman Mirza case: Female victim says ‘being pressurised to pursue’ case

ISLAMABAD: The female victim in the Islamabad couple harassment case, who had earlier withdrawn her statement and submitted an affidavit to deny perusing the case further, Wednesday told the court that she was being pressurised to pursue the case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani resumed the hearing of the Islamabad couple harassment case today.

At the outset of today’s hearing, the female victim reiterated her statement saying: “I have already said that I do not know anyone of the suspects. Whatever statement I had to record, I have recorded. Why am I being pressurised?"

She pleaded with the court to grant her permanent exemption from the case.

Meanwhile, cross-examining the female victim, the counsel of Umar Bilal, a suspect in the case, urged the court to play a certain part of the alleged video.

Accepting his request, the court ordered the journalists and other irrelevant people to leave the courtroom for a few minutes and run the video. After a few minutes, the doors of the courtroom were reopened.

Umar Bilal's counsel asked the female victim that had she received Rs1 lakh from his client for recording this statement in the court.

The girl replied: “I have not taken money from anyone."

"I have already said that the police have obtained my signatures on blank papers," she added.

Responding to a question about her marriage date, the victim replied that she did not remember the exact date, adding that she tied the knot after the video went viral.

The female victim said that she had never met with IG Islamabad or any other police officer.

At this, the suspect's lawyer said that the girl has confessed to telling a lie before the court, and pleaded with the judge to place the names of the couple on the no-fly list.

Earlier, police brought Usman Mirza, the key suspect in the harassment case, and others to the court. The suspects were shifted to "Bakhshi Khana" after attendance.

Prosecutor Rana Hasan Abbas cross-examined the male victim and asked him about his job.

He said that when the incident occurred he was associated with the real estate business but these days he was jobless. He said that when the proceedings of the case started, he left the business.

When the prosecutor asked him to give the details of the incident, the male victim said that he could not narrate the details for now.