The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday expressed serious concern over delays in police investigations after it emerged that a girl reported missing in 2022 had been murdered, directing Inspector General of Police Punjab Abdul Karim to submit a comprehensive report on missing girls and women cases across Punjab.
LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum was hearing a petition filed by Salma Bibi, who had approached the court for the recovery of her daughter, Muqaddas Bibi.
During proceedings, the IG Punjab and other senior police officers appeared before the court, while Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar submitted a report stating that the missing girl had been murdered.
According to the police report, initial investigating officers had declared the suspect innocent and removed him from the case. However, after reinvestigation, police found that the girl had been killed. Authorities later detained the son-in-law of the owner of the house where the victim had worked, and during remand, the suspect allegedly confessed to the murder.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum questioned why it had taken four years to determine the fate of the missing girl and expressed dissatisfaction over the police investigation system, remarking, “Look at the condition of your investigation system.”
The court also sought an explanation for the failure to recover the victim’s body. In response, the IG Punjab said efforts were ongoing, after which the court directed police to examine records of police stations near Rohi Nala to determine whether the body had been buried as an unidentified corpse.
The chief justice further asked what action had been taken against officials responsible for the prolonged delay. The IG informed the court that an inquiry had been initiated against former investigating officers and assured that those found responsible would face punishment.
The court ordered the IG Punjab to submit at the next hearing complete details of missing girls and women cases across the province, including pending investigations and cases that had not reached a logical conclusion. It also sought records of investigating officers and the duration taken to complete investigations.
The chief justice directed that officers with poor investigation records should not be assigned sensitive cases in the future.
Later, the hearing was adjourned until April 9.