LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza has criticised the Punjab government over rising crimes against women, alleging that police register cases differently depending on the social status of the accused.
Addressing a press conference at the Peoples Secretariat in Model Town, Murtaza cited the alleged abuse of a disabled girl by a police officer in Ghaziabad and the custodial deaths of two women arrested in a theft case in Lahore as examples of what he described as systemic failures in protecting women.
He questioned the Punjab government’s claims that women were a “red line” for the administration, asking why accountability had not been ensured in such cases. Referring to reports by Sahil and the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), Murtaza claimed that thousands of cases involving violence against women were registered in Punjab during the first half of 2026, with an average of 85 women facing violence every day.
He questioned the selective ordering of judicial inquiries into such incidents and said there was a need for uniform accountability. He also referred to the Data Darbar bombing case as an example of an incident where justice remained unresolved. Murtaza also defended the PPP’s coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying the alliance was necessary to prevent political derailment.
He dismissed calls for the creation of new provinces as a distraction from governance issues and expressed concern over election complaints filed in Azad Kashmir. The PPP leader also urged the Punjab government to reconsider the ongoing lockdown, saying it was adversely affecting the province’s business community.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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