The crime scene/File photo

MARDAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Iftikhar Mashwani on Monday claimed that four-year-old Asma, who was found dead in the fields last month, was neither raped nor murdered but rather, died a natural death.

Contradicting the statements of forensic experts that the minor was raped before she was killed, Mashwani alleged that the district nazim was scoring political points by saying that Asma was raped.

The forensic report does not confirm that Asma was raped. She was neither raped nor murdered, she died of natural causes, the MPA claimed, adding that police would submit the forensic report on the case in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

He further demanded that the apex court issue instructions for a second post-mortem in the case.

Lashing out at the latest claims by the MPA, District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar questioned if Asma was neither raped nor murdered then why were DNA samples of 243 suspects collected in the first place.

?If nothing happened, then why were DNA samples of 243 suspects collected [by the police]?? he said while addressing an ANP rally.

?Even if she was not raped, she was murdered. Then why have the culprits not been arrested yet?? he continued.

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Meanwhile, in the latest twist in the case, Asma?s father Behram Khan said his daughter was not raped.

The minor?s paternal uncle, Saifullah, said no torture marks were found on her body when she was bathed by women of the family before being buried.

Asma was reported missing from the Gujjar Garhi area in Mardan on January 13, and recovered dead the next day from the nearby sugarcane fields. The murderer remains at large.

Dr Ashraf Tahir ? the Director-General of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency ? earlier said the DNA tests conducted on the samples obtained from the deceased?s body and the crime scene proved that the minor girl was sexually assaulted before her death.

One person?s DNA was found on Asma?s body confirming the rape, the official added, noting that the next stage in the investigation would be to match the DNA samples taken from over 200 people in the case to track down the suspect.