A Punjab government committee tasked with investigating the alleged rape of a college student in Lahore has found the involvement of “malicious actors” with vested interests who exploited the situation to advance their political agenda.
The seven-member inquiry committee, formed by Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz on Friday submitted its findings following an investigation into the alleged rape of a student at a private college in Gulberg. Its members included Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, the home secretary, the advocate general of Punjab, and secretaries of higher education, special education, and specialised healthcare.
The committee, in its findings, noted that the story was fabricated in order to incite unrest and damage public order. “The fabricated incident was part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at inciting unrest and damaging public order,” local media quoted the report as saying.
College management failed to handle situation
The report highlighted the failure on the part of college management when it came to handling the situation professionally while commending law enforcement personnel for their prompt action in securing evidence.
It identified a pattern of targeted disinformation and recommended the Punjab government take stringent legal measures to address the misuse of social media platforms and prosecute those responsible for spreading false information.
Reports of an alleged rape of a college student in Lahore led to massive protests all across the country prompting law enforcement personnel to arrest more than 150 people – most of them students. Police said they had arrested a security guard of the private college for his alleged involvement in the incident.
It is worth mentioning that the government’s counsel had previously said that students claiming the girl was raped had no evidence to support their claim when interrogated by the government investigation team.
LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum then decided that the harassment of students and a separate ongoing case of Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari’s fake videos would be combined and heard by a full bench on October 22.
