Iqra Aziz speaks out after infant abuse case

Actor Iqra Aziz has expressed shock and anger over the alleged sexual abuse of a nine-month-old girl in Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin, saying the incident left her struggling to find words.

The actor addressed the disturbing case through an Instagram story on Tuesday. She said she is herself a mother to a seven-month-old baby, making the news particularly difficult for her to process.

Aziz questioned how anyone could harm such a young and vulnerable child.

She said the growing number of cases involving violence against women and children raised serious concerns about social attitudes toward consent, personal boundaries, safety and respect.

The actor described herself as deeply disturbed and “disgusted to my core” by the incident. She also questioned why parents should have to rely primarily on their own vigilance to protect their children instead of being able to trust the country’s legal and social protection systems.

According to the complaint, the incident allegedly occurred at the victim’s home while her mother was away at work. The child was reportedly injured. The suspect allegedly escaped after the woman returned home, before police later arrested him.

Aziz said she found it difficult to discuss broader issues such as sex education when basic concepts of consent, boundaries and child safety were still not adequately understood.

Despite her anger, the actor stressed that she loved Pakistan and considered it her home. She said criticism of the country’s problems came from a desire to see a safer society rather than from a lack of love for it.

She said she wanted a Pakistan where children were protected through an effective system and where criminals feared the law instead of parents constantly fearing for their children’s safety.

Actor Sonya Hussaiyn also reacted to the case, expressing frustration over what she described as the failure of the system to protect vulnerable people.

The Mandi Bahauddin case is the latest in a series of reported incidents involving violence against children in Pakistan.

Last week, police in Haripur recovered the body of a five-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and killed. Earlier in August, authorities in Karachi arrested a teenager accused of sexually assaulting a toddler.