The recent case of alleged gang rape of a minor girl in police custody in Jacobabad district of Sindh province has brought to light significant procedural flaws within Pakistan’s criminal justice system. Although the arrest of six police officers in connection with the case is seen as a sign of the system functioning, reports indicate that accountability limited to lower-level officials does not amount to real justice.
A report published in Pakistan’s prominent newspaper, The Express Tribune, revealed that female detainees were kept in private areas alongside male police officers, which in itself constitutes illegal detention. The report emphasises that the question of sexual abuse, however horrific, follows the state’s prior failure to fulfil its legal responsibilities. It states, “The purpose of detention is to limit police power, not to increase it.”
The report further alleges that women and children were deliberately held in custody to exert pressure on their male relatives who were wanted in separate criminal cases. This coercive tactic has been described as an inhuman and unlawful practice that has no place in any civilised legal system.
Such practices persist largely because strict action against them is rarely taken. In many areas, seeking justice from the police—especially when the accused are police personnel themselves—is considered extremely risky. Without an independent complaint mechanism and witness protection, legal remedies remain largely ineffective on paper.
The shortage of female police officers and the absence of effective women protection cells reflect administrative negligence, as security measures intended to prevent abuse in custody have yet to be implemented across Pakistan.
Highlighting the gravity of the issue, the report urges that this case should be viewed beyond an individual crime, as an institutional responsibility. It raises critical questions: Who authorised the detention? Who monitored it? Who failed to intervene? And who decides the extent of accountability?
Last December, the Islamabad-based organisation ‘Sahil’, which monitors gender-based violence, reported a sharp rise in crimes against women across Pakistan during the first eleven months of 2025. The study analysed data from 81 national newspapers covering all four provinces, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
According to the report, 6,543 crimes were recorded in 2025 compared to 5,253 in 2024, marking an increase of nearly 25 percent. Between January and November 2025, the cases included 1,414 murders, 1,144 kidnappings, 1,060 physical assaults, 649 suicides, and 585 incidents of rape.
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