CM says rich and influential offenders will no longer be allowed to escape accountability

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday called for a tit-for-tat response to incidents of assault, saying victims

MANDI BAHAUDDIN:  Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday called for a tit-for-tat response to incidents of assault, saying victims should respond to attackers in the same manner, as she criticised what she described as a long-standing culture of powerful people exploiting the weak.

Addressing a laptop and Honhaar Scholarship distribution ceremony at the University of Rasul, the chief minister referred to recent incidents involving a scooter-riding girl and a petrol pump employee, saying the government had stood by the victims and would not allow influential offenders to escape accountability.

Referring to the assault on the scooter-riding girl, Ms Maryam said she had personally contacted her and told her that the state was standing with her. She said she wanted the same number of slaps to be returned to the person who had assaulted the girl.
She made similar remarks about an incident involving a petrol pump employee who was allegedly assaulted after stopping a customer from smoking at the station. The chief minister said she had brought both men before her and told the employee to respond in the same manner.

Maryam said the purpose was to make those who considered themselves powerful realise the consequences of humiliating and assaulting weaker people.
“The era has gone when a rich person could exploit the poor and people would simply tolerate it,” she said, adding that the law should apply equally to everyone.

The chief minister said she was prepared to go to jail for the safety and justice of the people of Punjab and warned criminals against harming mothers and daughters.
She also criticised the release on bail of suspects in such cases, saying courts should award punishments that made offenders realise the seriousness of their actions. She said she would meet the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the female Chief Justice of Punjab if necessary to raise issues concerning public safety and justice.

Maryam said Punjab had become a province where victims could expect state support. She cited the arrest of rape suspects within hours and urged citizens to immediately report incidents so that offenders could not commit the same offence again.
She said the government had ended the era of favouritism and claimed that laptops and Honhaar Scholarships were being distributed strictly on merit. She said no influential person could deprive a deserving poor student of his or her right.