LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has lashed out at the provincial police over a sudden sharp surge in organised and violent crimes, including murder, robbery and dacoity, despite spending a hefty amount of Rs527 billion on the police department.

Addressing a video link conference of regional, city and district police officers of Punjab here on Wednesday, she said: “I purged the Punjab police force of political interference, selected officers purely on merit during interviews and provided ample resources, including budget, weapons, equipment, and vehicles whereas the violent crime increased manifold across the province.”

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, IG police Abdul Kareem, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana, Additional IG Crime Control Department (CCD) Sohail Zafar Chattha and other senior officials were present there.

Expressing her displeasure and concern, she said the comparison of the crime data of 2025 with the figures of the first four months of the current year has shown a visible surge.

Directs RPOs, DPOs to coordinate with CCD

In 2025, Punjab had witnessed a 79 per cent drop in gang rape, 73pc in murder-robbery, and 71pc in dacoity-robbery compared to 2024.

An official privy to the information said the situation brought about embarrassment for the police officers in the wake of recent incidents of violent crime reported in parts of Punjab.

He said the reported crimes against women and children had irked the CM as she had declared women her ‘red line’.

In Okara, a man had allegedly shot dead two of his sisters and injured another one over domestic issues in the first week of April.

A woman was allegedly burnt alive by her mother-in-law over insufficient dowry in the Sheikhupura district in January 2026.

Similarly, a 19-year-old married woman was allegedly gang-raped by four men in a moving van in the jurisdiction of Rawat police of Rawalpindi in last week of March.

In Daska, a young woman was allegedly gang-raped after being lured on the pretext of receiving Ramazan ration in February.

He said Maryam Nawaz referred to some recent disturbing incidents reported in some parts of Punjab and particularly crime increase in Gujrat where citizens were robbed at public places.

During the meeting, the official said the CM questioned in a hard tone as to why the crime that had decreased by 70pc in 2025 witnessed a massive surge in 2026?

She hinted at another emergency meeting to be called on the deteriorating law and order and crime in Punjab saying that after significant efforts to make Punjab a safer region, there is no room for negligence.

Maryam questioned the relevant police officials over their performance and reprimanded them over failure to control crime.

On an occasion, the CM instructed the RPOs and DPOs to ensure full coordination with the Punjab CCD and made it clear that incidents such as murder, robbery, kidnapping, and missing persons cases are unacceptable, adding that even minor crimes must be addressed with seriousness.

The CM also raised alarm over increasing drug-related cases and condemned an incident in which a bus conductor assaulted a child, stating that such acts reflect a lack of fear of law.

Referring to specific incidents, she warned that unchecked robberies could escalate into more serious crimes and emphasised that despite the establishment of Safe City projects across the province, the persistence of crime remains a serious concern.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026