Amid hectic political developments unfolding in Islamabad, a good number of Pakistanis have come to adverse notice for their perverse and most shocking sexual acts in various parts of the world. Already suffering a tarnished image of their country and its people for linkages to terror and undesirable activities, there had been cases of indiscretion and shame particularly in a recent instance in the UK. Condemnably, British MP of Pakistani descent, had been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, who is half Pakistani and half English, though denied assaulting the teenager following a party at the victim’s family home, a spokesman for the Conservative party disclosed that Imran has been expelled from the party with immediate effect. His lawyer, of course, said he planned to appeal. He is thought to be the first sitting MP convicted of child sex offences.
The court heard how Khan, then 34, had attended the schoolboy’s home and slept in the victim’s bedroom. The teenager reported that Khan plied him with gin, made him watch pornography and sexually assaulted him in his bed. The victim reported the crime in 2019 after Khan was elected as MP. Khan will be sentenced at a later date. If he receives a custodial sentence, it could trigger a by-election or disqualify him from being an MP.
Imran Ahmad Khan: MP guilty of sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy – YouTube
Earlier, according to belated news emanating from Greece, there is a rising concern among the people of Greece following an increasing number of sexual assault cases that are being linked to men of Pakistani origin. In the past, there have been several cases where Pakistani migrants were found committing unspeakable sexual atrocities against native women and children. Recently, a Pakistani migrant was arrested in Crete, for the assault and attempted rape of a local woman. Despina Platanaki, near the old town hall and also beat her while attempting to rape her. A police complaint was filed by the victim and the assaulter was arrested. Police said that the assaulter might have sexually harassed at least five other women.
Two days later, on Sunday, Platanaki posted a picture of herself on social media and apprised the world about the sexual attack on her. She urged other victims of sexual assault to come forward and speak up after she came to know that she was not the Pakistani migrant’s only victim. The ongoing trend shows that there is an alarming rise in the number of sexual assault cases reported in Greece that are directly linked to Pakistani migrants. For some time now, Greece has been afflicted by a series of sexual assaults involving Pakistani migrants. While the victims have been predominantly native women, in some cases, even children have been brutalized by men of Pakistani descent. This is seen as grotesque and highly condemnable.
Again, on 26 March, a case of a Pakistani migrant trying to molest a 13-year-old boy came to the fore. In the Greek village of Messara, a Pakistani migrant reportedly attempted to kiss the minor boy on his lips. The boy had gone to the house of the Pakistani migrant, who was a neighbour of the boy’s relative. After the incident, the boy narrated the incident to his father, who in turn called the police and filed a complaint against the Pakistani migrant.
Sexual assaults by men of Pakistani origin have increasingly become a common occurrence in various cities across Greece. In January 2021, a horrifying case of attempted rape of a 5-year-old girl by a 20-year-old Pakistani was also reported. This act of perversion is condemned time and again.
Apart from cases of sexual exploits, Pakistan’s settled abroad have also notoriously been known about directly complicit in terror cases. In France, only a couple of years back a Pakistani origin man was arrested for stabbing to death by beheading a French person. An ordinary Pakistani in Europe or in the US has a terrible reputation and they have hardly anyone who can repose trust in them for their dangerous and violent mindset with a high degree of religious indoctrination. If this trend continues, then it is likely that the Western countries will be reluctant to grant visas to the Pakistanis or not allow them to settle in their countries fearing their involvement in sexual and terror crimes. In any case, the reputation of Pakistan and its nationals abroad are at an all-time low and it would appear an almost impossible and uphill task for Pakistan to come out of the sullied image now. With the Pakistani political dispensation and its military tied up with numerous problems within and the ongoing hostilities on the Afghan border, the challenge is more pronounced than before. Besides, the society being afflicted with extreme tenets of religion, the task at hand looks even more difficult.
(Shantanu Mukharji is a retired IPS officer, a security analyst and a former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Mauritius. Views expressed are personal)
