Punjab, October 9 (Daily Kiran) : In Punjab, Pakistan, more than 500 cases of missing girls are currently unresolved. This alarming statistic was revealed by Rao Abdul Karim, the Inspector General of Police, during a hearing at the Lahore High Court.
The hearing was prompted by a petition filed by Sadia Hussain, a resident of Faisalabad, who is seeking the return of her missing daughter. Chief Justice Alia Neelam presided over the session and inquired about the number of pending cases related to missing girls in the province. In response, the IG confirmed that over 500 such cases remain unresolved.
The Chief Justice further questioned whether the police had any special protocols for handling cases involving children and women. Karim assured the court that specific committees have been established to address these issues.
Justice Neelam expressed frustration, stating that police often only act when a case is brought to the court’s attention. She recounted a particular instance where a girl remained missing for two years, only to be located after judicial intervention. The Chief Justice instructed the IG to submit a comprehensive report on the efforts being made to locate the missing girls.
In a related concern, the Voice of Pakistan Minority, an organization advocating for minority rights, reported that Lahore recorded 498 cases of rape and 36 cases of gang rape within the first eight months of 2026. This disturbing trend indicates that, on average, more than four sexual crimes are reported daily in the city.
The organization highlighted that no area is exempt from such violence, and no community feels entirely safe. They noted that if cases of unnatural sexual offenses are included, the total number of sexual crimes reported in the first eight months reaches 1,108. These incidents are not confined to isolated or underdeveloped areas but occur in affluent neighborhoods, busy markets, and quiet residential zones.
The Voice of Pakistan Minority also emphasized that the reported figures do not reflect the full reality. Human rights organizations have long maintained that the actual number of crimes is much higher than what is recorded in official reports.
Many victims do not come forward due to social stigma, shame, family pressure, distrust in the police, and fear of being ostracized by society. While an increase in reported cases could indicate a rise in criminal activity, it may also reflect a growing courage among victims to file complaints. However, despite the uptick in reporting, the system often fails to deliver justice to those seeking it.
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