‘Humiliation of women, HR violations’: Allegations against police, prison authorities baseless, says IG

LAHORE: All allegations levelled against the police and prison authorities regarding the humiliation of women and violation of human rights through social media are baseless and contrary to the facts.

The IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar along with IG Jails stated this at a press conference here Tuesday. They said the aim of baseless allegations was to discredit national institutions at the international level.

IG Punjab said that any post, picture or video posted by social media influencers regarding women in the last few days has nothing to do with the incident of May 9. He said that all these posts are based on old incidents that happened in the past years, on which legal action was taken against those responsible persons.

IG showed screenshots of old posts and videos on social media linked to May 9, told the incidents details and the police action taken on them. He said there are cameras inside, outside and lock-ups of all police stations and these places are being monitored by CCTV 24 hours. Similarly, there are around 150 cameras inside the jail. He said that no man has ever interrogated a woman except lady officer and full attention was paid to the observance of human rights during the investigation.

He said even today there is a propaganda that the women who got bail have scars or wounds on their bodies, which is completely false. He said that if there is an incident of rape or humiliation of any woman, we will be responsible for it. He said that we have responded to every propaganda from the Zille Shah case till today and presented factual details to the general public. There are gynecologists and psychologists inside the jail. He said how long will these people resort to lies and how long will they keep deleting their tweets. He said that we should be ready to answer the questions and reservations of all the compatriots, especially the doctors. He said that if anyone thinks that the police or any other agency destroyed their own national heritage, they need to correct themselves. He said that he is ready to answer every incident from Zille Shah’s death till May 9.

IG Punjab said that the accused involved in the mischief at Jinnah House were arrested after a comprehensive process of identity verification. IG Punjab said that the arrests and identification of the miscreants made in the light of the photographs, videos of the incident, safe city cameras, cameras of various agencies, CTD and special branch reports, identification from Nadra, geo-fencing of mobile phones, videos uploaded by the accused on social media, and the facts that came to light during the investigation. He said that all the elements involved in this conspiracy were identified. SSP Investigation Lahore said that 13 of the women detained in Punjab are in Lahore while two are in Rawalpindi. She said that women were kept in safe environment in jail where no man can go. She said that medicine was given to Khadija Shah for asthma. Another woman was given medicine for akin infection. She said there are 140 other women in the jail who are being provided equal rights and facilities. IG Punjab while answering the questions of journalists said that some accounts involved in propaganda were traced and sent to FIA against whom legal action was being taken. He informed the media about the details of all the police operations with the help of footage of Safe City cameras on May 9.

IG said the judicial inquiry of the incident was ready and the police would take all the evidence and go to the judicial commission. He said the relatives of the police officers were also arrested against whom action was being taken without discrimination.