A 20-year-old woman with learning disabilities alleged that she was sexually assaulted at Ghaziabad police station in Lahore after an assistant sub-inspector brought her to the facility. According to accounts from the woman’s family, she disappeared while on the street before returning home in distress and reporting that she had been raped at the station. The accused officer was arrested and is undergoing criminal investigation.
In response, authorities suspended all 78 police officers and staff members at the precinct on Tuesday, marking one of the largest disciplinary actions taken against Pakistan’s police force. Lahore’s deputy inspector general of police (operations), Faisal Kamran, explained that the suspensions reflected the responsibility of all personnel to prevent and report misconduct within the station. He noted that no officer had questioned the presence of the woman without female police personnel accompanying her. Kamran indicated that dismissed officers would face termination and pledged enhanced safety measures across police stations in the city.
The case has generated significant public reaction within Pakistan, where advocacy organizations have documented widespread reluctance among women to report sexual violence due to cultural stigma and diminished confidence in law enforcement institutions. Women’s rights activist Farzana Bari described the incident as emblematic of persistent accountability failures and abuse of authority within police structures. She referenced ongoing campaigns since the 1990s for dedicated women’s police stations, noting that while police protections for women remain inadequate, the fact that this case reached public awareness provides some encouragement.
Convictions for rape offenses remain infrequent despite legislative reforms in recent years. The Sustainable Social Development Organisation reported a national conviction rate of approximately 0.5% in 2024, while Punjab province recorded a 4% rate in 2025. Experts attribute the low conviction rates to deficient investigative practices, inadequate evidence gathering, extended prosecution timelines, and the social stigma surrounding sexual assault. Police statistics indicated over 20,000 crimes against women in Punjab during the first half of the year, representing an increase from the equivalent period in the previous year. Bari emphasized that sustained institutional accountability and structural reforms are necessary to address the pattern of such crimes.
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