LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that if any sign of negligence or dereliction of duty surfaces in the Kasur child abuse scandal then the provincial government will take notice.

Sanaullah was speaking to Geo News, shortly after an in-depth report by Geo.tv shed light on the 2015 scandal and its aftermath.

The provincial law minister said a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was constituted after the scandal surfaced, which worked tirelessly and submitted a challan on the matter as well.

He added that the case is proceeding in the anti-terrorism court and the prosecution is assisting the affectees.

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While responding to a question about an MPA offering a family Rs450,000, Sanaullah said that if that was the case then the family should have stated the same before the court.

He further said that the courts are present to hand over the verdict in the cases and the matter is being investigated.

Sanaullah maintained that such cases should not be used for political gains.

While responding to a query related to the counseling and schooling of the young victims, he claimed the state tried to assist them but the parents of the children refused to send them out of their area to boarding schools.

He also said that the state cannot interfere further in such cases, adding that if there are any complaints, then parents should approach the court that they aren?t receiving complete legal assistance. 

The investigative report mentioned the rampant child abuse cases in Hussain Khanwala village in Kasur, stating that over 200 boys and girls, have either run away or gone underground since 2015.

Pakistan?s biggest child sexual abuse ring began operating in the rural area in 2008, but was uncovered in 2015. The details were shocking, as were the cover-ups and official failings. 284 children, from ages 6 to 10, were forcefully raped and abused on film. 

A gang of 17 men would record, edit and then use the footage to extort money from the villagers.

Even after the Hussain Khanwala incident, cases of sexual assault involving children continued to be brought to the public arena. 

In 2016, 141 child offences were reported from Kasur alone, according to data provided by Sahil, an Islamabad based NGO working to prevent child exploitation. None of the cases made national headlines.

According to Sahil, cases of sexual abuse against children are recorded nationwide every year. However, reports from Kasur always stand out.

After the 2015 incident, a total of 35 first information reports (FIRs) were registered in Kasur?s police stations. Since then, eight families have withdrawn their cases. 

According to Latif Ahmad Sarra, the lawyer who represented the affected families, some were threatened by the police to backtrack. Others were allegedly paid off by Malik Ahmed Saeed, a parliamentarian from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz elected in 2013 from the PP-178 Kasur seat.

"I received a call from him as well," alleges Waleed. "Ahmed Saeed called me from his own number in 2016. He offered me Rs 450,000, which I could collect from his dera (farm). I don't need his money. I need justice and if I don?t get it, I will burn myself."

Malik Ahmed Saeed is said to be a distant relative of two of the brothers involved in the gang and is a married father of four himself. 

When asked to comment on the allegations, the lawmaker said over the phone: "These are baseless lies. I want them to bring proof. I did not call anyone and offer them money."