The Supreme Court was alarmed Monday when the DPO of Sargodha said the police have recovered 151 young women abducted in the city in the last one year. “Of these, 21 were rescued from brothels,” the police officer revealed. “Others were recovered from small districts across Punjab. The operation was conducted on orders of the top court.”
The findings shocked Justice Maqbool Baqir who was hearing the case. He expressed concerns over the huge number of abductions from a small city like Sargodha. “These numbers are the result of the incompetence and failure of the police,” the judge remarked and ordered the Punjab inspector-general to initiate an operation across Punjab and rescue kidnapped women as soon as possible.
According to an international report, Pakistan ranks sixth on the list of countries most dangerous for women. SSDO, a research based advocacy organisation, in a report last year reported 9,401 cases of violence against women, 1,422 cases of domestic violence, and 15,714 cases of child abduction. It declared Punjab the most dangerous province for women and children, while Sindh ranked second, followed by Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.—INP
