Cleric arrested for assaulting student

MIANWALI: Lahore police have arrested Muti Azizur Rehman, who has been accused of sexually abusing his seminary student, from Mianwali on Sunday.

The police have also arrested Rehman’s two sons from Lahore and Lakki Marwat.

A case has been registered by the Lahore police against the cleric, his sons and two unidentified persons.

A team of the Lahore police arrested Rehman in a late-night raid in Mianwali, the hometown of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The 70-year-old cleric and the Jamiat Ulemae-islam’s senior leader is now in police lock-up ater an FIR was lodged against him for sexually assaulting one of his seminary students.

“We have been able to arrest this criminal. We will take it as a test case, interrogate him, conduct a scientific professional investigation, prosecute and get him convicted by the court,” the IG Punjab said in a message on Twiter.

He further said that they want their kids protected from these child molesters and keep society safe for their future.

Lahore police said that Rehman’s student Sabir Shah lodged an FIR in North Cant Police Station in which he claimed his teacher blackmailed him ater he failed in one of his examinations and demanded sexual favours in return.

He said that he had been a student of Jamia Manzoorul Islamia since 2013. “During the exam of Darjah-e-rabia (grade four), Rehman, who was the Nigran (caretaker) accused me and another guy of puting someone else in our place for the exam and had me banned from appearing in the Wifaqul Madaris exam for three years.”

He said that he pleaded with Rehman to reconsider the decision upon which the cleric said he would do so if the young man engaged with him sexually. “So, out of compulsion, I came into his deceit and became a victim. He also promised me that he would remove the ban and get me pass the Wifaqul Madaris exam.”

The student said he was sexually exploited every Friday for three years and blackmailed. He went to the madrassa administration but, according to him, they said this was not possible as the cleric was an old pious person.

The student started secretly filming to collect evidence which he presented to Wifaqul Madari Nazim-e-aala Hanif Jalandhary. “When Rehman came to know about this, he threatened to kill me,” the young man told the police. “A few days ago, when someone uploaded the video on social media, I got scared and went into hiding.”