Islamabad, Jan 10
Over 900 people, including women and children, were abducted and 152 sexually assaulted or molested in Pakistan's Islamabad in 2024, the capital city's police authorities have revealed.
The shocking statistics have raised a serious doubt about Islamabad's reputation as being one of the safest zones for the country's citizens.
A record number of 891 cases of kidnapping were also registered in Pakistan's capital last year, including those of teenage girls (483), men (306), boys, and over 150 women during 2024, making the city severely unsafe.
"267 kidnapping cases were reported from Soan, 214 in Saddar, 204 in Rural, 127 in City and 79 cases in the industrial zones of Islamabad," said a police officer.
Details revealed that the cases included kidnapping or abductions for extorting property, ransom, compelling women for marriage, and abductions with the intent of secretly and wrongfully confining persons. At least 60 cases of teenagers being kidnapped were also registered.
"Islamabad, being the capital of Pakistan, has always been considered to be the safest, most organised and best-managed city of the country. But it now seems that no one is safe here either. From abductions to murders to robberies, rape and sexual assaults, the city has become a nightmare for young girls, women, elderlies and teenage boys. It is very disturbing and alarming to see the rise of such crimes here," said Syeda Reshum Masood, a local resident.
"Females, who would earlier go out freely, are now extremely careful about getting out of home or sending their children outside. The feeling of insecurity and fear is for real," she added.
What is even more worrisome is the involvement of police officials in raping minors under their custody and then tampering records.
In one of the rape cases, three investigation officers and a medico-legal officer at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) destroyed evidence and changed the blood samples of a rape-accused person.
In another case, a police officer abducted two minors and sexually assaulted them.
The rising number of cases have shocked locals who are living in fear right in the middle of the country's capital.