The Lahore High Court has expressed strong disapproval towards IG Punjab Usman Anwar for the delayed response in addressing harassment incidents involving female students in educational institutions. During the hearing, the Chief Justice criticized the IG’s actions, particularly for failing to prevent a viral video from inciting widespread protests.
The Chief Justice asked pointedly, “Where were you on the 14th and 15th of October? Why didn’t you stop the video from going viral and prevent the students from taking to the streets?” IG Anwar, who had been summoned by the court, defended his actions by stating that they had promptly contacted the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as soon as they were made aware of the content.
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However, the Chief Justice remained unconvinced, highlighting that the video had already spread across more than 700 social media accounts before any action was taken. The Chief Justice remarked, “You wake up when everything is burnt. Why didn’t you act sooner?” The court also criticized the failure to shut down websites hosting the viral content, despite requests from authorities.
Platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) were still hosting the offensive material, which the court called a clear failure of both the police and the PTA. The court has now directed IG Punjab to submit a detailed report on the actions taken on October 14th and 15th, seeking answers as to why the situation was allowed to escalate.
This case has reignited a larger debate on the responsibilities of law enforcement and digital authorities in preventing harassment incidents, especially those occurring in educational institutions.
