LAHORE: Criticising the provincial government for “poor law enforcement and bad governance,” Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab Secretary General Syed Hassan Murtaza alleged on Monday that criminal cases in Punjab are registered on the basis of social status of the accused persons, where influential officers escape accountability, while the poor are brutally targeted.
Addressing a media briefing alongside other party leaders, including Usman Malik, Ahmad Jawad Rana, Mian Ayub and Bushra Manzoor Maneka, Murtaza cited instances of police misconduct in the provincial capital.
Referring to the rape of a mentally challenged girl in Ghazabad police station by a policeman and death of two poor young women in Township police custody, he questioned the provincial leadership’s claims regarding women’s safety in Punjab.
Mr Murtaza highlighted a “profound breakdown” in law and order, citing a recent report by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Sahil. Quoting data, he said out of 3,172 cases registered in Punjab from January to June 2026, 74 percent pertained to crimes against women, contributing to a total of over 20,000 cases statewide.
He asked why the police official involved in the rape of a mentally challenged girl was not being paraded publicly in disgrace and questioned the efficacy of judicial inquiries, noting that past inquiries into over 1,100 extrajudicial killings yielded no tangible accountability.
Commenting on internal issues of the coalition, Mr Murtaza stated that while the PPP supports the government at the Centre to prevent the democratic system from derailing, the governance in Punjab is collapsing.
He dismissed the ongoing debate on creating new provinces as a mere distraction from poor administration, arguing that adding administrative burden is unfeasible when a single chief minister and chief secretary fail to maintain order.
Highlighting the “growing internal rift” within the ruling party and the cabinet, he alleged that the alliance is strained by a division between senior PML-N figures and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
PPP Finance Secretary Rana Jawad emphasised that the core crisis in Punjab remains governance rather than administrative demarcation, warning that rigid enforcement measures and current government policies are worsening unemployment and causing severe distress among the business community.
Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2026
