The Rawalpindi Police on 3rd September said they had arrested the principal of a private academy over the alleged rape and forced abortion of a Grade 10 student.
The student, a resident of Khayaban-i-Sir Syed of Rawalpindi’s Pirwadhai town, had lodged a first information report (FIR) with the police on Monday under Sections 338A (punishment for Isqat-i-haml) and 376i (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code, alleging that her academy’s principal raped her multiple times and forced her to have an abortion.
In her complaint, the victim alleged that the principal, who was childless, had offered to marry her while she was studying in Grade 10. She reportedly told him to approach her parents regarding the matter.
She further said that the principal started coming closer to her and assured her that he would help her get good marks in the matriculation examination, convincing her to have physical relations with him.
The complainant claimed that the man called her into his office and raped her. After a few months, she informed him that she was pregnant, but instead of marrying her, he gave her medicine for an abortion.
As per the FIR, the victim alleged that the suspect continued raping her from time to time and again made her pregnant. However, when she insisted on marriage, he refused and began subjecting her to torture.
A statement by the police on X quoted Rawalpindi Superintendent of Police Rawal Arshad as saying that the force took swift action and arrested the suspect, adding that the victim’s medical examination had also been initiated.
SP Arshad said a challan would be filed in court with solid evidence to ensure an exemplary punishment for the suspect. and real punishment will be ensured. “Violence, abuse or harassment against women and children is unacceptable,” he said.
Human Rights Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar earlier ordered an “immediate and transparent” investigation into the incident, according to a statement issued today by Tarar’s office.
The minister ordered the suspect’s immediate arrest and sought a report on the incident. “The provision of justice to the affected student should be ensured under all circumstances,” Tarar, who is also the law minister, was quoted as saying.
According to Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code, the punishment for rape can be a death sentence or imprisonment of not less than 10 years and not more than 25 years, or the remainder of the convict’s life, along with a fine.
In May, a sessions court in Rawalpindi sentenced a man to death for raping a woman under Section 17 of the Anti-Rape (Investigation & Trial) Act, 2021.
Rape laws in Pakistan have seen significant reforms, particularly with the Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020, which introduced special courts for expedited trials, mandated medico-legal examinations within six hours, and established a national sex offender registry.
However, systemic challenges persist, with the national level conviction rate for rape at a mere 0.5 per cent, according to a report by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO).
National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha said last month that only 41pc of the women raped report it, and even out of those, many back off due to societal pressure.
Last month, the interior ministry reported that 200 of the 567 cases of sexual abuse registered in Islamabad between 2021 and June 2025 involved children.
In June, Rawalpindi police said they had arrested an Adiala jail employee who allegedly raped his 11-year-old niece in the prison’s residential colony.
The same month, a woman in the district’s Dhamial area complained to the police that she had allegedly been sexually assaulted by her landlord’s son.
Published in Dawn on 2nd September, 2025.
