Police using videos, photos to trace culprits who assaulted woman in Lahore

Lahore police chief Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said on Wednesday that culprits who assaulted a female and her companions at the city's Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day are being traced through videos of the incident shared on social media.

In a statement, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) said that police have sent a number of photos and videos to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to determine their identities.

"Those who misbehaved with the girl will be dealt with strictly," Dogar said.

Politicians, celebrities call for justice after mob of men assaults woman at Minar-e-Pakistan

The Lorry Adda police on Tuesday registered the FIR against almost 400 suspects on charges of assaulting the woman at the Greater Iqbal Park.

The FIR was registered under Sections 354-A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to commit the theft), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In videos of the incident recorded by the mob and circulating on social media, the woman can be seen tossed into the air and her clothes ripped apart by men, her cries for help going unheard.

In the FIR lodged with the police, the woman said she was separated from her six companions, who were also violently assaulted, and that the mob also stole jewelry, cash, and mobile phones from them.

According to the woman's complaint, she and her group were at Minar-e-Pakistan on Independence Day to film a video before they were harassed and then attacked repeatedly.

The footage of suspects fleeing the scene is being acquired from Safe City cameras, DHA and TikTok clips, a police official said.

The official said that so far police have identified 10 suspects in the case and they will be arrested soon.

Politicians and celebrities have raised urgent calls for justice and protection of women in Pakistan following the incident.

"These are gross violations of laws and social norms, [the government] won’t spare a single person involved," said adviser to the prime minister Zulfi Bukhari, who also announced that the prime minister "has personally spoken to the Punjab police IG to arrest those involved.

However, even if laws are implemented effectively, it's the mentality and mindsets that must change to deter such incidents and protect those most vulnerable in society, said Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari.