The female complainant in the Islamabad couple sexual harassment case, who had last week backtracked from her allegations of torture and sexual abuse by a gang, reiterated in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday the retraction of her statement and urged the court to grant her permanent exemption in the case.

       The case had surfaced when a video of four persons holding a couple at gunpoint, forcing them to strip and then beating them up had gone viral on social media last year in July.

       Initially, an FIR was registered under section 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 354A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 506 (ii) (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of Pakistan Penal Code. Later, sections pertaining to rape, sexual abuse, extortion, and wrongful confinement were also included in the FIR.

       In September, charges were framed against the primary accused, Usman Mirza, and co-accused Hafiz Ataur Rehman, Adaras Qayyum Butt, Rehan, Umar Bilal Marwat, Mohib Bangash and Farhan Shaheen.

       On Jan 11, in a surprising turn of events, the female victim had retracted her statement against the accused and informed the trial court that she did not wish to pursue the case.

       A day later, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Bokhari had announced that the state would pursue the Islamabad couple harassment case "irrespective of recent developments relating to victim's testimony".

       When the hearing of the case resumed today with Additional District and Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani in the chair, the girl complained that she was being pressured repeatedly to pursue the case. "I have given the statement that I don't know anyone," she said.

       At another point in the hearing, prosecutor Rana Hasan Abbas cross-examined the male victim and asked him to narrate the background of the incident.

       "I cannot recall the details of the incident and also don't remember what shirt I was wearing that day," the victim said in response to a query from the prosecutor.

       At this, the public prosecutor requested the court to play the video of the incident in the courtroom. The judge granted the request.

       Later, Sher Afzal, counsel for one of the suspects, Marwat, urged the court to replay the footage as he sought to cross-examine the male victim. He said he wanted to see the face of the man. The video was played again at his request.

       More to follow