Raped at 14, Shazia took the rare and courageous step of reporting the crime to Pakistani police, only to face a traumatic "virginity test" -- a long-standing practice that denies justice to victims.
The teenager was still in a daze after she was assaulted by her father's cousin when police forced her to see a doctor, who conducted the invasive medical exam intended to determine whether she had a history of having sex.
"She told me to open my legs and inserted her fingers," Shazia, not her real name, told AFP in a written statement.
"It was very painful. I didn't know why she was doing it. I wish my mother had been with me."
In a country where rape is vastly underreported and survivors of sexual assault are viewed with suspicion, virginity tests are often ordered as part of police investigations.
The result can be critical to any criminal case, with an unmarried victim discredited if she is deemed to be sexually active.
That goes some way towards explaining Pakistan's abysmal rape conviction rate, activists and lawyers say, with official data putting it as low as 0.3 percent.
The "two-finger test" endured by Shazia requires a doctor to insert their fingers into the victim's vagina and record whether they "entered easily" or not.
A woman is supposed to conduct the examinations, but this guideline is not always followed.
Other visual virginity tests -- sometimes using glass rods -- look for signs of healed tears or scarring.
They can have a harrowing effect on survivors of sexual assault, who already face terrible social stigma in a country obsessed with upholding the "honour" of women.
"I wasn't told how they were going to examine me. They only said that I had to be seen by a doctor to help the police," Shazia said of her ordeal from three years ago.
Shazia's parents, who filed the case, later dropped it following family pressure.
- 'Mouth of a spoilt girl' -
Similar virginity tests are employed in at least 20 countries around the world from Brazil to Zimbabwe, according to the World Health Organization.
It says the exams amount to human rights violations and have absolutely no scientific merit.
But Pakistani health authorities have long encouraged all girls and women who report rape claims to be subjected to the tests.
"I count this as another rape in itself," Sidra Humayun, an activist who handles sexual assault cases, told AFP.
"Most rape victims I have worked with have spoken of being traumatised by it."
Court documents seen by AFP paint a vivid picture of how female rape victims can be shamed and ridiculed if a medical officer concludes that they have a history of sexual intercourse.
A man convicted of raping a 15-year-old in a village outside the city of Faisalabad was freed on appeal in 2014, after the judge considered the results of the two-finger test and ruled that the teenager was a "lady of easy virtue".
"The uncorroborated statement of (the victim) may not be relied upon as it came from the mouth of a spoilt girl," the judgement said.
The invasive examinations are sometimes conducted without the full understanding or even the consent of rape victims, often by practitioners who lack sensitivity training, case workers and lawyers say.
A woman doctor working in one of Lahore's government hospitals told AFP she regarded young rape victims with suspicion.
Without offering any evidence, she claimed that families often fabricate rape claims if they discover an unmarried daughter is having sex.
"But we can easily determine through the tests that we perform whether the girl has had sex before or not. So we know which claim is fake and which isn't," she said on condition of anonymity.
Some historians say virginity tests date back to the colonial era and were used by the British to discredit local rape victims, with the practice widely adopted in India and Pakistan after independence.
"It arose under colonial times as a consequence of the misconception or the stereotypical belief that native women tend to lie about these crimes," explains Sadaf Aziz, a campaigner against the tests.
- Mounting anger -
Pakistan remains a deeply conservative nation, yet there are signs of mounting anger over the handling of sexual abuse cases.
The recent gang-rape of a mother in front of her children on a motorway sparked nationwide protests, fuelled by a police chief's comments that she should not have been driving alone at night.
Following the outcry, Pakistan's president last month approved a new anti-rape law which bans the two-finger test but does not rule out visual virginity examinations.
The law has yet to be ratified by parliament.
But activists this month achieved a major win in the country's most populous province of Punjab, where the Lahore High Court outlawed all virginity tests -- the first such ruling in Pakistan.
Lawyers hope it could spur a domino effect across the country, with a similar case making its way through the courts in neighbouring Sindh province.
Sameer Khosa, a lawyer who campaigned for the ban in Punjab, warned that the ruling was just the start of a battle against entrenched patriarchal attitudes in Pakistan's justice system.
"This is something that has been going on for decades", he told AFP.
"Officials will suddenly have to be retrained to understand that this (test) isn't relevant anymore."
- 'Doctors didn't ask me' -
Across the border in India, the test continues to be performed despite a formal ban in 2013.
Fourteen-year-old Komal, not her real name, was forced to undergo a virginity test last year while her parents were absent after she was raped by a local temple priest in India.
"(The doctors) didn't ask me anything before doing it," she told AFP over the phone. "It's a matter of shame. It's not good to insert fingers into a girl's private parts."
Ashif Shaikh, who heads the Indian anti-sexual violence non-profit Jan Sahas, told AFP that his organisation alone identifies "hundreds of cases every year" where the two-finger test is performed.
"It isn't easy for victims to watch their rapists walk free while their own honour is being questioned," said Abdul Ghaffar Khan Chughtai, a lawyer from the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur.
"My client decided not to pursue a case any further because she felt she wouldn't get justice."
UK AVIATION engineers are arriving in Thiruvananthapuram to carry out repairs on an F-35B Lightning jet belonging to the Royal Navy, which has remained grounded after an emergency landing 12 days ago.
The jet is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy. It made the emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14. The aircraft, valued at over USD 110 million, is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world.
According to a spokesperson for the British High Commission, the aircraft is currently awaiting repairs at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport after it developed an engineering issue.
The UK has agreed to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport.
"The aircraft will be moved to the hangar once UK engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment, thereby ensuring there is minimal disruption to scheduled maintenance of other aircraft," the spokesperson said.
The F-35B is the only fifth generation fighter jet with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities, which allows it to operate from smaller decks, austere bases and ships.
The official said the aircraft would return to active service once the repairs and safety checks are completed.
"Ground teams continue to work closely with Indian authorities to ensure safety and security precautions are observed. We thank the Indian authorities and Thiruvananthapuram international airport for their continued support."
The aircraft was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales due to adverse weather conditions.
Engineers from HMS Prince of Wales had assessed the aircraft after the emergency landing and determined that support from UK-based engineering teams was required.
The Indian Air Force had said a few days after the incident that it was providing all necessary support for the "rectification and subsequent return" of the aircraft.
Earlier this month, the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group conducted military exercises with the Indian Navy.
In British service, the F-35B is referred to as the 'Lightning'. It is the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the fighter jet, designed for use from short-field bases and air-capable ships.
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Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India Flight 171 crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
TWO weeks after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, families of victims are grappling with grief and trauma. Psychiatrists are now working closely with many who continue to oscillate between denial and despair.
The crash occurred on June 12, when the London-bound flight hit the BJ Medical College complex shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and 29 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.
The emotional impact of the incident continues to affect survivors and relatives of those who died.
Counselling support on the ground
In the immediate aftermath, the Department of Psychiatry at B J Medical College deployed a team of psychiatrists—five senior residents and five consultants—across locations including Kasauti Bhavan, the postmortem building, and the civil superintendent's office to support families.
"The accident was unimaginable. Even bystanders were disturbed. Then what must be the condition of someone who lost their loved one?" said Dr Minakshi Parikh, Dean and Head of Psychiatry at BJMC.
"If the people who heard the news were so disturbed, then it is not even within our scope to imagine the state of mind of the family members of people who lost their lives," she told PTI.
Processing grief in stages
As visuals of the crash began to circulate, families arrived in large numbers—many still hoping their relatives had survived. The existence of a lone survivor gave rise to hopes that it might be their loved one.
"There was an uncertainty whether one would be able to identify the loved ones they have lost and wait for matching of the DNA samples for three days. In some cases, samples of another relative of the kin had to be taken. The shock would have logically led to acute stress reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder," said Dr Parikh.
Dr Urvika Parekh, assistant professor and a member of the crisis response team, said denial was the immediate response among many families.
Facing denial and despair
"They kept asking for updates, insisting their family member had survived. Breaking the news gently, while having no confirmation ourselves, was incredibly difficult. We had to provide psychological first aid before anything else," she said.
Parekh said the hope placed on the lone survivor became a coping mechanism. "We had to deal with the denial and explain that nobody could have survived the horrific crash (except one who was not their relative)," she added.
Families were initially reluctant to accept counselling. "It was also difficult to accept the truth without seeing the bodies of their loved ones. Counselling aided them at this critical juncture," Parekh said.
She shared the case of a man who remained silent after losing his wife in the crash. "There was immense guilt—survivor guilt (that he is alive and his wife died). We gave him anti-anxiety medication to help ease the immediate stress. Eventually, he began to speak. He talked about their plans, their memories. It was catharsis. We didn't interrupt—we just let him speak and communicated through silence and empathy,” she said.
Parekh said that listening empathetically was a major part of the process. "We were managing their anger, outburst, and their questions like 'why us' (why did it have to happen to us)," she said.
The wait for DNA results was another major source of distress. With confirmation taking up to 72 hours or more, some families insisted they could identify their loved ones without DNA.
"There was one father who kept saying he didn't need DNA tests—he could identify his son by his eyes," said Parekh. "We had to gently discourage that. Seeing their loved ones in such a state could trigger PTSD and depression. We told them: it's better to remember them with a smile than with charred remains.”
Dr Parikh said the five commonly known stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—were not experienced in a fixed sequence.
Lingering grief and support
"People cycle through these stages. Someone might accept the loss in the morning and fall back into denial by evening,” said Parekh. "So we mourned with them. That was part of the therapy".
Parekh stays in one of the residential buildings near the crash site. Her building was not damaged.
Some families found the waiting unbearable. One Air India crew member’s family had to wait seven days for DNA confirmation. “The exhaustion, the helplessness—it broke her mentally,” a relative said. “But the counselling helped. Those sessions were our only anchor."
"A calm voice, the right amount of information, and simply being there—these saved a lot of families from spiralling into chaos,” said Dr Parikh.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Prime minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at The British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference in London on June 26, 2025. (Photo by EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP via Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he was wrong to warn that Britain could become an "island of strangers" due to high immigration, saying he "deeply" regrets the controversial phrase.
Speaking to The Observer, Sir Keir said he would not have used those words if he had known they would be seen as echoing the language of Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.
"I wouldn't have used those words if I had known they were, or even would be interpreted as, an echo of Powell. I had no idea – and my speechwriters didn't know either," he explained. "But that particular phrase – no, it wasn't right. I'll give you the honest truth – I deeply regret using it."
Starmer made the remarks last month while announcing new immigration controls. He had said that without proper rules, "we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together."
The comments sparked fury from Labour MPs and other critics who accused him of copying the language of Powell, the former Tory minister whose inflammatory speech warned that native Britons had "found themselves made strangers in their own country" because of immigration.
Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Sir Keir was "reflecting the language of Enoch Powell," while suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana branded the speech "sickening."
Diane Abbott, Britain's first black female MP, called the phrase "fundamentally racist."
Sir Keir accepted full responsibility for the mistake, saying he should have "read through the speech properly" and "held it up to the light a bit more." He also acknowledged there were "problems with the language" in a policy document where he claimed recent immigration had caused "incalculable" damage to Britain.
The climbdown marks another reversal for the Labour leader, who has faced criticism for changing course on several policies including winter fuel payments and welfare reforms. Just this week he watered down controversial benefit changes to avoid a rebellion from his own MPs.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seized on the apology as proof that Sir Keir "has no beliefs, no principles and just reads from a script."
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said it showed the prime minister "doesn't believe in borders or the nation state."
Despite the backlash when the speech was first delivered, Downing Street had initially defended the comments.
The prime minister's spokesman said they "completely rejected" comparisons to Powell and confirmed Sir Keir stood by his words.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper had also backed the prime minister, arguing his remarks were "completely different" to Powell's and highlighting how he had praised Britain's diversity "in almost the same breath."
London mayor Sadiq Khan and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan had both distanced themselves from the language at the time, with Khan saying they "aren't words that I would use."
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Sir Sajid Javid (Photo by Tom Nicholson-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.
The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.
It was set up following the violent unrest that broke out in 27 towns and cities after three young girls were killed in Southport last July. False claims about the attacker's identity spread rapidly on social media, helping to fuel the disorder.
Sir Sajid warned that Britain has become a "tinderbox of division" due to years of neglect. He said governments have only acted when tensions boil over, rather than dealing with the root problems. "We are more disconnected as a country than at any point in our modern history," he told reporters. "There is a pandemic of loneliness that has spread across the country."
According to Javid, who served as communities secretary, home secretary and chancellor in the cabinets of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, social cohesion had been treated as a “second tier” issue by successive governments.
“Communal life in Britain is under threat like never before and intervention is urgently needed," he told the Telegraph. "There have been long-term, chronic issues undermining connections within our communities for several decades now, such as the degradation of local infrastructure from the local pub to churches, the weakening of family units, growing inequality, declining trust in institutions and persistent neglect from policy-makers."
He pointed to several factors making the situation worse, including high levels of immigration that haven't been properly managed, rising cost of living pressures, social media spreading extremist views, declining trust in public institutions, and the breakdown of local community spaces like pubs and churches.
Cruddas, who represented Dagenham for over 20 years, said the commission would listen directly to people across Britain rather than impose solutions from Westminster.
Over the next 12 months, the panel will examine what's driving people apart and develop practical recommendations for government. The group includes former West Midlands mayor Sir Andy Street, ex-Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, and counter-extremism expert Dame Sara Khan.
The commission is being supported by the Together Coalition, which was founded by Brendan Cox after his wife, MP Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016.
Sir Sajid remains optimistic about Britain's future, saying the country has "phenomenal attributes" to overcome its challenges. The commission aims to create "a vision for communities that all British citizens can buy into."
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Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)
A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.
Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.
Bradford Crown Court heard that Akter had been living in a refuge since January after Masum threatened her with a knife at their home in Oldham. Masum tracked her using her phone location and confronted her after she left the refuge to meet a friend, believing he was in Spain.
Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. He was arrested three days later in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images
Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, had admitted manslaughter and possession of a knife but denied murder. He was found guilty of murder, stalking, making threats to kill, and assault by beating.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the attack was “planned and premeditated”. West Yorkshire Police described it as a “brutal” daylight attack. Det Ch Insp Stacey Atkinson said Ms Akter “should have been safe”.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct found no breach of standards by officers involved prior to her death. Masum is due to be sentenced on 22 July.