The Strange Case of Shumaila Rana: MPA Arrested for Credit Card Theft

Posted on July 12, 2009
Filed Under Law & Justice, People
67 Comments
Total Views: 89571

Adil Najam

Punjab Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shumaila Rana, of the PML-N, has been arrested by the Punjab police for allegedly stealing two credit cards and then going on a shopping spree with them. The PML-N leadership has said that the law will take its course. But this adds one more shocking story to what is already a litany of sorts.

The details are bizarre enough not to need an explanation. According to the Daily Times:

Ghalib Market police on Sunday registered a case against a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) female MPA for allegedly stealing two credit cards from a woman’s wallet and buying jewelery and clothes worth Rs 80,000 on those cards, the police said. The FIR No 551/09 was registered against the MPA under Section 379 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), on the complaint of Muqeet Salam, brother-in-law of Zaira Malik of Canal Bank.

The police said the accused MPA Shumaila Anjum Rana could not be contacted so far… He said Salam alleged in the application that his sister-in-law Zaira was in a fitness club on July 7 and found her credit cards missing from her purse. He said Zaira contacted the bank officials concerned who informed her that transactions worth Rs 80,000 had been made on her credit cards. Salam said the banks also informed Zaira that the accused purchased goods from a shop in Siddique Trade Centre.

The police quoted the complainant as saying that the shop owner showed the recorded CCTV footage to them and finally Zaira identified Shumaila, who is not a member of the club. He said they had also received the records of transactions in which Malik’s credit cards were used.

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Interestingly, The Nation reports that Ms. Rana is a member of the Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Auqaf, and more importantly, that she is also a member of Chief Minister’s Coordination Committee for the IDPs which deals with the Punjab Chief Minister’s Fund for the IDPs of NWFP.

The report in The Nation provides more context information:

This time it is not a male parliamentarian, rather to jump into the already-boiling fray of irregularities and illegalities by elected representatives is a female MPA, Shumaila Rana, who was ‘chosen’ on reserved seats to serve the masses. The Pakistan Muslim League-N has vowed to fulfil all legal formalities in investigating the case. On the other hand, if found guilty, she will lose her seat, as no convicted can become a parliamentarian, and stands disqualified as conviction as per the Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

Previously, it were MNA Haji Pervaiz Khan from Rawalpindi and Minister Prisons Ch Abdul Ghafoor of the N-League, who indulged in impersonation and acted highhandedly at the Lahore Airport respectively. Interestingly, the MNA lost his seat after a committee found him guilty, and the Minister was given honourable exit from the charges by the PML-N leadership despite the fact that the committee found him guilty on more than two accounts. Prior to Shumaila Rana’s case, another N-League’s MPA Munawar Gill was indicted in a rape case. He is said to have been found innocent in the case.

The first timer to the Punjab Assembly Shumaila Rana, reportedly found guilty of stealing credit card from another female’s bag, and indulging in ‘illegal’ shopping, is member of the Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Auqaf. Moreover, she is also member of Chief Minister’s Coordination Committee for the Internally-Displaced People, which is an offshoot of Punjab Chief Minister’s Fund for the IDPs of NWFP.

Unmarried Shumaila Rana is daughter of Hidayat Ali, and she climbed the ladder of becoming an MPA by virtue of her mother Anjum Ara’s services to the party, as the latter has been worker of the party for about two decades. Anjum Rana, a retired schoolteacher of a private institute, was not a graduate, and after her successful canvassing for her daughter, a reserved seat was given to Shumaila Rana, who is said to be in her mid-20s. She is the first MPA from this family, and has nothing tangible to her credit for which she should have been given the slot. MPA with humble family background, she has been a vociferous supporter of women rights, and their empowerment. She had also promised to lobby for the charter of demands presented by women farmers recently.

67 responses to “The Strange Case of Shumaila Rana: MPA Arrested for Credit Card Theft”

  1. Kashif Ahmed says:

    I agree with Amjad !

    Everyone has citizen rights to be given free and fair trial…in this era of technology truth looks different on the screen…

    Insult is a punishment which has already been caused to Miss Rana….now further punishment would be unfair even if she is proved wrong….

    Are we turning the openion or Geo News which has turned millions of people against her….

    Just Think !

  2. Amjad Shamim says:

    Dawood Sab,

    We are not trying to defend but want to tell our nation that while highlighting these type of issues, please try to control media.
    If media is open in these type of things, then why other politicions thefts are not on the media??????

    It means u are defending others?????????

  3. Dawood says:

    Amazing how her defenders are now trying to fill the comment boxes to turn the opinion. Guys, its on video, what is to dispute.

  4. Amjad Shamim says:

    Dear All,

    We, Pakistani, have a major problem that without evidence, varification and clarification, start blaming others. Who so ever is spreading this news, its GEO or other, they must varify the case first and then start highlighting these type of stores.
    Think for a moment about other leaders………. is there any one who didn’t steal a penny in their political career??????
    If all others are “PAK”, then start killing Shumaila Rana.

    May Allah give all of us courage, passion and understanding.

  5. Kashif Ahmed says:

    Dear all

    I beleive it can be an easy scam….

    Query 1: If she was a planned stealer then why did she show her identity and doing her own signature (showing her name clearly….she just forgot to write MPA with it)

    Query 2: Why the shopkeeper didn’t verify her signature with the signature on the back of the card. If card was without signature shopkeeper should have demand for it.

    Query 3: Does Miss Malik hold a personal credit card or use family credit card? (Normally, if you are used to of using more than one credit card frequently you don’t check receipt and sign it ultimately without checking the details, as you are not a professional but shopkeeper is trained professional for such transactions).

    Query 4: If she is not the member of health club then what was she doing there and how the lady identified her?…do they know each other? (It’s a very common practice that most of the time when we need quick cash money from credit card we:

    1: Go to a friend shop with POS facility where he swip our credit card and give us cash after deducting bank charges.
    or
    2: Ask a friend if they are planning to purchase something, if yes then he use our credit card and give us cash. This is the best option as no need to pay bank charges.)

    There are lot of loo-polls in this case. Just seeing a footage we cannot decide a crime. Geo news was not suppose to public a key evidence until it was analyzed and confirmed by the Courts. Suppose if my queries are positive then who will pay back for the insult suffered to Miss Malik. Geo news is also following the Indian Masala News Channels way of creating news.

    Hum logo mein yehi buraee hai jo bhi humein kuch dikhata hai hum yaqeen ker lete hain….apna dimagh use nahin kerte…

    Khuda hamein Insaaf kerne ki taufeeq ataa farmaey….

    Kashif Ahmed

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