LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar Thursday said he was personally monitoring the Motorway rape incident and directions had been passed to the police for early arrest of the criminals. 

“I am personally monitoring the progress made in this case and the IGP has been directed to arrest the culprits at the earliest”, he said in a statement issued here on Thursday.  The Chief Minister further stated that investigation was underway on scientific grounds and the perpetrators will be given strict punishment. 

Earlier, Sardar Usman Buzdar took strict notice of the incident of molestation of a woman on the Motorway and sought a report from the IG Police.  He directed to arrest the criminals at the earliest and provide justice to the affected woman at any cost. 

The criminals deserve strict punishment under the law, he stressed.  Later, in a tweet, the Chief Minister said it was the responsibility of the government to provide security and justice to the citizens .  “It is part of the PTI’s manifesto to build such a society where the women, the children, whether alone or with their families, should feel secure irrespective of whether it is day or night”, he affirmed.  

He assured that justice will prevail in any case in respect of Motorway rape case and the culprits involved in this heinous crime would not escape punishment.  Also, the federal ministers and politicians took to twitter to condemn the incident. 

Pakistan Muslim League (PML) central leader and MNA Moonis Elahi while expressing regrets over molestation of a woman on Motorway few kilometers away from Lahore Ring Road has said that this incident is an alarming situation for Punjab and Motorway Police.

In a tweet, he said that the Punjab Police should keep performing their duties uppermost instead of the tussle for the posts. 

Meanwhile, Federal Minister Shireen Mazari, Shibli Faraz and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz have also condemned the incident in their respective tweets. 

Shireen Mazari took exception to the statement of CCPO Lahore Umar Sheikh, who stated that the women should not have undertaken the journey in late hours and that she should have taken the right route. “For an officer to effectively blame a woman for being gang raped by saying she should have taken G. T Road or question as to why she went out in the night with her children is unacceptable and have taken up this issue. Nothing can ever rationalise the crime of rape. That’s it.”, she said in her tweet. 

The federal minister said that the Ministry of Human Rights had sought an action report from the Punjab police about the incident.  Federal Minister Shibli Faraz condemned the incident saying the culprits would get punishment as per law. He said the government will ensure justice to the victim’s family. 

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz termed the incident as traumatizing and heart-rending. She said such incidents were indicative of a deeper malaise that warranted a national response to put an end to the curse stemming from a culture that encouraged impunity.    

Chairman PBIT calls on CM 

Chairman Punjab Board of Investment & Trade (PBIT) Sardar Tanvir Ilyas called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office and apprised him about investment-related activities.  Talking on the occasion, the CM stated that Punjab had emerged as the best province for investment and investors were being provided facilities under one roof through the one-window operation. 

No investment-related file will be delayed nor anyone will be allowed to create hurdles in the process of boosting investment, he emphasised.  A wonderful package has been chalked out for the construction sector by the Punjab government, he said. 

Buzdar said that a one-window policy had been introduced for getting NOCs relating to the construction sector.  The approval of maps and construction-related NOCs is made possible through e-khidmat centres, he stated. 

He said this saved the people from the hassle of visiting offices and a time-frame had also been fixed for the issuance of NOCs. 

“The approval of maps for the construction of residential or commercial buildings will be done in 30 days while NOC of commercialization conversion will be given in 45 days. 

Similarly, approval of new housing schemes will be given through development authorities and TMAs in 60 days and 75 days respectively”, he explained. 

He regretted that people had to visit offices for months in the past for these services. The CM said the quality of life was being improved through e-governance culture and ease of doing business has been formulated for investors and the general public. 

It is sanguine that an outdated system has been made easy through the latest technology, he said. 

The billions of rupees will be invested through Ravi Riverfront Urban Project, which will prove a game-changer initiative. On the other side, 13 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are being established for investors and the investment will create new job opportunities, concluded the CM.