Pakistan Hunting Rapists

Police searching for four men accused in the gang rape of an 18-year-old girl as a tribal punishment believe they have fled their village to evade authorities.

As outrage at the rape grew, the government handed the victim a check for 500,000 rupees ($8,200) as compensation and promised that a school bearing her name will be built in her honor.

The gang rape took place June 22 in Meerwala village in southern Punjab province. Police said a tribal council ordered the rape as punishment for the victim's family after her 11-year-old brother was seen walking with a girl from a tribe considered higher-caste. The victim's family were from the Gujar tribe, the other tribe were Mastoi.

Local newspapers say the two were believed to be romantically involved.

Pakistan has a tradition of tribal justice in which crimes or affronts to dignity are punished outside the framework of Pakistani law. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded an end to punishments by tribal councils.

Police say the tribal verdict was illegal.

The suspects are well known in the village but have disappeared since the rape.

As is often done in Pakistan - including in the Daniel Pearl murder case - police have detained eight relatives of the suspects to pressure the perpetrators into surrendering.

Police said Thursday they are questioning Meerwala residents about whether the suspects have relatives living in cities or large towns in other parts of Pakistan to which the accused men may have fled.

"We are doing our best and hopefully the accused persons will soon be arrested," said Deputy Inspector General Police Asef Hayyat.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has called senior police to a special hearing Friday to hear progress in the case.

Attiya Inayatullah, Pakistan's women's' affairs minister, visited the family Thursday to hand over the compensation check.

She said President Pervez Musharraf had ordered that an Islamic religious school be built in the village in the victim's name.

Accepting the check, rape victim Mukhtiar Mai appeared with Inayatullah at a news conference.

"I would have committed suicide if the government had not come to my help," said Mai.

According to local villagers, that is what happened to the victim of a rape in the same region just one week ago. Police say two suspects are under arrest in that case.

Inayatullah told villagers Thursday that the government will vigorously pursue suspects involved in all such crimes. She also said that the government is considering setting up a summary court to deliver quick punishment to those responsible for the gang rape.