The Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) has taken serious notice of the Fahmida Laghari case in Mirpurkhas and is closely monitoring the progress of the investigation.
Advocate Rubina Aman Brohi, chairperson of the SCSW, strongly has condemned all forms of violence against women and girls. She stated that “such acts are not only a grave violation of individual rights and dignity, but also a blot on the collective conscience of our society.”
She added: “Incidents of this nature have far-reaching consequences: they disrupt girls’ education, instill fear in families, and restrict the mobility and confidence of women and girls across communities.” The SCSW has called upon the Sindh IGP and the DIG of District Police Mirpurkhas to conduct a thorough, impartial, and merit-based investigation into the Fahmeeda Laghari case and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice in accordance with the law.
PTI’s condemnation
Sindh Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Haleem Adil Sheikh has strongly reacted to the alleged suicide of Fahmida Laghari, a student of Muhammad Medical College, Mirpurkhas, terming the incident a tragic reflection of the growing justice crisis in Sindh and increasing insecurity faced by female students in educational institutions, adds Jamal Khurshid.
In a video statement, he said he had brought yet another case of a daughter of Sindh before the public court, adding that the country was currently suffering from a lack of effective governance, non-functional justice system and inability of the institutions to perform their duties.
He said Fahmida was a position-holder and talented student of the medical college who was allegedly subjected to harassment and blackmail by staff members and others.
According to him, when she approached the principal with her complaints, her concerns were not addressed, and instead students were allegedly threatened with failing grades.
The Sindh PTI president said that despite repeated complaints, the administration failed to take any effective action, allowing influential individuals to remain protected while justice was denied.
He added that the justice system in Sindh had completely collapsed, where powerful individuals appeared to be above the law.
Sheikh added that this was not the first such incident as he recalled previous cases in Sindh, including that of Namrita Kumari and Nosheen Kazmi of the Chandka Medical College, Naila Rind of the University of Sindh, and Parveen Rind of Nawabshah, stating that justice had not been served in any of these cases so far.
He also referred to Bakhtawar Soomro, a student from Sukkur, saying she raised her voice against harassment but was subjected to false cases and pressure, which adversely affected her education.
He lamented that the suspects involved in Fahmida’s case had not yet been arrested, whereas, the family had expressed a lack of confidence in the police investigation.
The PTI leader demanded immediate arrest of all those involved and called for strict punishment so that such incidents were not repeated in the future.
He stressed that ensuring the safety of female students in educational institutions was the fundamental responsibility of the government, and any failure in this regard was unacceptable.
Expressing solidarity with the bereaved family, he said he would personally visit Mirpurkhas to offer condolences.
He said that had timely and strict action been taken in previous cases, the daughters of Sindh would not have continued to suffer such tragic incidents today.
