Pakistan PM vows to punish child abuse culprits

Islamabad, Aug 10: Following a nationwide outrage on the recently unearthed child pornography scandal, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed "exemplary punishment" for those guilty, a media report said on Monday.

A gang of 20 to 25 men had allegedly filmed as many as 400 videos of sexual abuse involving at least 280 children in Kasur district of Punjab province, The Express Tribune reported.

"The guilty will not be spared," he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also ordered a judicial inquiry into the case.

The chief minister directed the home department officials to immediately request Lahore High Court Chief Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik to form a commission consisting of district and sessions judges to conduct the inquiry.

On Saturday, a high-level committee report said the police have rounded up at least seven accused while a manhunt was on for the remaining.

Meanwhile, the police said they have arrested another accused involved in the scandal.

Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Syed Nadeem Abbas said all the accused have confessed to forcing children into sex and then filming the act.

"We have recovered CDs of porn videos, phones and memory cards from the accused," he said.

"The scope of investigation will be widened."

"Eight cases had been registered against 15 accused on eight complaints within the month of July," he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq travelled to Kasur on Sunday where he appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the scandal.

"An inquiry into the matter should be conducted and the culprits involved in this heinous crime should be tried in military courts on terrorism charges," he said.

"There could not be a greater act of terrorism than abuse of minor children and forcing the parents to pay extortion."

IANS