Daily Times

LAHORE: A day after the arrest of 20 members of a family in Multan over sexual assault of a minor girl as a settlement for the rape of her cousin allegedly by her brother made headlines in international media on Wednesday,

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the district and initiated action against police higher ups. The city police officer (CPO) was made an officer on special duty (OSD) and the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) as well as the entire staff of Muzaffarabad police station was suspended from service. Earlier, Sharif visited the Violence Against Women Centre (VAWC) where the two girls have been provided shelter. Speaking to the media after the visit, Sharif said he had assured the girls that justice would be done in the case. He said the CPO was made OSD because of the police’s failure to take timely action on the matter. He said he had constituted a three-member committee headed by the chief of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team to further probe the matter and submit a report to him in 72 hours. During the visit, the CM was given a briefing by the Multan RPO and told that counseling service had been arranged for the affected girls at the VAWC.

Published in Daily Times, July 28^th , 2017.