Mukhtara Mai Rejects the WikiLeaks Cable – Huzoor Bakhsh Kharos is NOT her Brother

On 13th June Dawn released WikiLeaks cables from the US Embassy in Islamabad in 2006 in which US Ambassador Ryan Crocker raising Suspicions of Mukhtaran Mai involvement in panchayat rulings against local girls

WIKILEAK CABLE: Mukhtaran’s brother Hazoor Bakhsh convened a panchayat (traditional court) to review the case of a nine-year old girl xxx who had been raped by three local individuals. According to civil society activists, Mai had urged her brother to deal with the case through a panchayat rather than the formal legal system, arguing that the courts would not properly deal with the rapists. At the panchayat, Bakhsh utilized his position and authority to order that the fifteen year old sister of one of the rapists, Faizan, be handed over in marriage to rape victim’s xxx father, Rasool Bakhsh, as compensation. Rasool tortured Faizan who was rescued by her father and brother one day after her marriage.

Civil society groups claimed that during the same panchayat, Hazoor Bakhsh, issued an order acquiting five people from a neighboring village of the kidnap and rape of two sisters xxx. Sources claim that despite promising the sister’s justice at the panchayat, Hazoor Bakhsh took a Rs. 60,000 (approximately $1000) bribe for their acquittal and ruled against the sisters — effectively finding them guilty of illicit sexual relations.

It seems that there are TWO Hazoor Bakhsh’s in the area one belongs to the Kharos tribe and is better known as Hazoor Bakhsh Kharos while Mukhtara Mai and her brother belong to the Gujjar tribe and her brother should best be recognzied as Hazoor Bakhsh Gujjar.

I’d like everyone to read the email circulated by Mukhtar Mai Women Welfare Organization which would clarify all confusions …..

I want to put your attention towards a serious issue regarding defaming Mukhtar Mai and her brother Hazoor Baksh. In the issue of June 13, 2011 of Dawn Newapaper, an article is being written against her brother Hazoor Baksh and they also tried to involve Bibi in the whole story. Dawn paper unleashes Wikileaks’ mysterious stories based on nothing. This article is based on false information. Even in first paragraph, the city stated is Mianwali instead Meerwala, which shows the inadequacy and poor authenticity of the writer and portrays an irresponsible behaviour.

In 2006, the same situation arose when a likely news was given by Dawn newspaper but, right after 6 days, the newspaper corrected it because of name confusion of Hazoor Buksh Kharos and Hazoor Buksh Gujjar (Mukhtar Mai’s brother). Now we are facing the same conflict again.

The current article says that Mukhtar Mai’s brother Hazoor Buksh is guilty of heading and arranging a punchayat with the will of Mukhtar Mai. In this punchayat, two brutal decisions were taken. One of which was the acquitance of five persons who raped two sisters and Hazoor Baksh wrongly favored the guilty persons by taking bribe of Rs.60,000/- and second decision was a Vanni case in the same punchayat which was decided by Kharos persons not Hazoor Buksh. While Hazoor Baksh never attended this punchayat at all. There was another guy named Hazoor Baksh Kharos accompanied with two of his relatives named Rasool Baksh Kharos and Muhammad Ramzan Kharos. The girl being raped was the niece of the Muhammad Ramzan Kharos. And they mutually decided over the Vanni issue. The sub-inspector Ayub Chandia registered the FIR against these three persons at that time and all three were charged and punished by the court accordingly. Hazoor Buksh Kharos completed his two year imprisonment and then released but other two guys are still inside. The FIR report can be confirmed by Ayub Chandia who handled the case then.

The most disappointing thing in the perspective is the reference of our partner NGOs like Pattan and Awaz which have confirmed Hazoor Buksh presence and involvement in the above stated article. The article clearly and exactly starts with, ” A range of credible NGO contacts have confirmed to post serious problems within the local community being instigated by Mukhtaran’s family in her home district of Mianwali. These six well-respected Pakistani NGOs, including Strengthening Participatory Organizaiton, Pattan, and Awaz Community Development, all are well known to the Embassy and have ongoing programs in Mukhtaran’s distrcit. These once-strong Mukhtaran supporters claim that, due to her international celebrity and significantly increased donor-provided resources, she and her family have become significat power brokers in their local community……”

We are not ready to believe that our friends can say that. These are self-generated statements because there found no solid reference in the article except organization name. However, even in this situation, the organizations whose names are used as a confirmation reference, they must have to notify it and should respond accordingly. This isn’t a matter of merely my honor now. If this is a blame, as it is, it must be coped up with iron hands. We have disclosed many times since 2006 that Hazoor Buksh and Baji Mukhtar can never be involved in any punchayat decisions while she herself remained a victim of such punchayats. This article is not true and based on false assumptions and biased versions.

I humbly request to you that please join hands with us in this crucial time. You know, we are already messed up with oblique situations and don’t want to waste our energy and resources anymore on such fabrications. Thank you very much!

Naeem Malik
Program Manager
Mukhtar Mai Women Welfare Organization Meerwala