The incident in which a woman was assaulted by a mob at Minar-e-Pakistan on the Independence Day has sparked a wave of anger and condemnation across the country, with the assault being termed a case of ‘sexual terrorism, not harassment’.
A young woman was assaulted by a massive crowd of over 400 people as she and her friends visited Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on the Independence Day. In a video that went viral days after, hundreds of men could be seen picking up the woman and throwing her up in the air. The victim, along with her friends, was making a TikTok video in the park when hordes of men of all ages climbed a fence and attacked the woman.
The victim told the police that the men groped her, tore off her clothes, beat her, and tossed her in the air. In addition, they robbed her of Rs15,000, snatched her mobile phone and took off her gold ring and studs. Out of hundreds of men, many of who just stood there and even made a video, only one person came to the woman’s rescue and helped her get out of the park. A case has been registered against 400 people allegedly involved in the incident.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday took notice of the incident. PM’s close aide Zulfiqar Bukhari tweeted that Imran Khan personally spoke to IG Punjab on the manhandling of the woman and the vandalisation of Ranjit Singh’s statute at Lahore Fort. The senior PTI leader said that these are gross violations of laws and social norms and the government won’t spare a single person involved in these crimes. Earlier, Punjab government spokesman Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had said that the culprits are being identified through video footage. “The incident of assault on a woman in Greater Iqbal Park is a shameful act which has brought shame to the society,” Fayyaz Chohan said in a statement. He said that the accused involved in the video are being identified and will be brought to justice.
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto also slammed the incident and asked the government to bring those responsible to the book. “The assault of a young woman by a mob at #minarepakistan should shame every Pakistani. It speaks to a rot in our society,” the PPP leader said. He said that those responsible must be brought to justice. “The women of Pakistan feel insecure and it is all our responsibility to ensure safety and equal rights to all,” he added.
Reacting to the incident, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said that he is “deeply disturbed” at the harassment of a young woman her companions by hundreds of people at Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore. “What is more worrying is the direction our society is headed in. The recent anti-women incidents are a reminder that malaise is deep-rooted. Very shameful!” he said.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said that her ministry is in touch with Punjab authorities “to ensure strict action” against the perpetrators of the condemnable attack. “Arrests made, FIRs done. MOHR following up,” she wrote. She called for a change in violent behavioural patterns in the people of Pakistan, saying that while laws exist and effective implementation will certainly prove to be a deterrent, but mindsets also have to change. “That is the challenge we are now focusing on along with law implementation,” she said.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar sought a report from CCPO Lahore about the harassment of the woman in Greater Iqbal Park and ordered the earliest possible arrest of the suspects. The chief minister said it was a very regrettable incident and it was a collective responsibility to provide justice to the affected woman.