LAHORE: Women who were harassed during a recent Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) rally on The Mall must record their statements with police, said Civil Lines Superintendent of Police (SP) Ismail Kharak of the investigation wing on Friday.

He said pictures of more than 100 men were sent to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and forensic science agency for identification. He also said some of the PTI women’s wing leaders were called to a meeting to help police identify the ‘goons’. He added pictures and video footage of the incident was shown to them but they could not identify anyone.

The SP said they were trying to establish the role of male participants of the gathering as one video clip showed them helping the women and another harassing them.

Earlier, police had registered a case against around 100 unidentified men for allegedly harassing PTI’s women workers during its anti-corruption rally on The Mall on May 2.

Some 50 to 100 men forced their entry into the pavilion reserved for women and started harassing them when the rally concluded. The men who were yet to be identified allegedly molested women participants of the rally and news channels broadcast the footage of the incident. Law enforcement agencies and the rally’s administration tried to hush up the matter, but to no avail.

RANA SANA: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership is aware of the men who harassed women at a party rally here recently, but is not cooperating with law enforcers.

“PTI leaders are well aware of the elements who molested women participants in Lahore rally of the party but they are not cooperating (with law enforcers) for arrests,” he told the media outside the Punjab Assembly here on Friday.

Advising political rivals to “desist from using such crowd-pulling tactics”, he cautioned the PTI leadership that such ploys were bound to invite vagabonds. He sarcastically said if PTI workers ever felt like dancing they should hire a hall to do so instead of on roads.

The PTI political committee head refused to comment calling the minister “a ridiculous person”.

Ejaz Chaudhry, former PTI Punjab president, said the minister’s remarks represented low mentality.

Regarding allegations of non-cooperation, he said police had been provided all video footage of the incident and as the PML-N was in power both in Punjab and Islamabad it could have secured information about the culprits from the National Database and Registration Authority in 24 hours.

But, he regretted that five days had passed since the incident and the government was presenting lame excuses instead of taking action. He said police did not provide the required security cover at exit points as policewomen had left the venue much before the rally had ended, Chaudhry claimed, citing a report on the incident submitted to the prime minister.

RASHEED: Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed has demanded that the army should launch an operation `Zarb-e-Ghazab’ against those terrorists who looted national wealth.

He said countdown had begun for those who established offshore companies while putting the whole nation under debt.

Speaking to media after the Punjab Assembly session on Friday, Mr Rasheed said the opposition would not change its terms of reference (TORs) if the government stuck to its TORs.

Stating that Maulana Fazalur Rehman would not be able to save the PML-N government this time, he said that accountability must begin from the prime minister and his family and added that the opposition was ready to defend its point-of-view at any forum.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2016