Punjab orders probe into child abuse scandal

(MENAFN- Arab News) HUSSAIN KHANWALA: A lawyer for the victims of a major child sex abuse scandal in Pakistan Monday accused police of protecting the culprits as activists warned the case was only the tip of the iceberg.
At least 280 children were filmed being sexually abused by a gang of 25 men who used the hundreds of videos they produced to blackmail the youngsters' parents according to Latif Ahmed Sara a lawyer and activist representing the victims.
Shahbaz Sharif the chief minister of Punjab province where the abuse took place has ordered an independent judicial probe and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed stern action against those responsible.
But there are suggestions of a politically-influenced cover up. The village at the heart of the scandal Hussain Khanwala lies in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party's Punjab stronghold.
Police have arrested at least seven people over the allegations but Sara accused them of dragging their feet some of the videos date back to 2007.
'The police are protecting the criminals they are supporting them and have provided them an opportunity to escape the village' Sara told reporters.
On Monday the Senate passed a unanimous resolution condemning the abuse and demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits.
The head of Punjab's Child Protection Bureau Saba Sadiq described the case as 'the largest child abuse scandal in Pakistan's history.' But an initial police probe carried out last week at the behest of the provincial government described the allegations as 'baseless' a conclusion immediately rejected by local media and rights activists.
District police chief Rai Baber Saeed told AFP that officers were doing their best to catch those responsible but insisted there were no more than 30 victims and accused activists and media of exaggerating.