Maryam warns influential offenders will not escape the law in Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday warned that people who assault women, children or other vulnerable citizens will face action, saying she would not be deterred by the prospect of legal cases against her government for taking a tough stance on crime.

She spoke at a ceremony in Mandi Bahauddin.

What did Maryam Nawaz say about offenders in Punjab?

Maryam Nawaz said she was prepared to face lawsuits if her government’s actions protected the public, adding that keeping people and their property safe was her responsibility. She urged victims and witnesses to report such crimes, warning that influential or wealthy suspects would not be shielded from the law because of their status.

“If a politically influential person lays a hand on someone from a poor background, the law will not spare them,” she said, urging people to come forward rather than allow alleged offenders to harm others.

She said her government and the provincial police stood with victims, adding that she would not be intimidated by the possibility of legal action over her response to crime. “Governing through fear is not governance,” she said, calling for consistency in the principles guiding the administration.

Which incidents did Maryam Nawaz refer to?

The chief minister referred to several incidents of alleged violence, including the killing of a teenager in Multan, an assault on a woman riding a scooter in Lahore and an attack on a petrol station employee.

In the Lahore case, video footage showed a man allegedly blocking a woman’s two-wheeler before assaulting her on a busy road. Police arrested the suspect after tracing him through footage from cameras operated by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. A court later ordered his release if he was not wanted in another case.

In the petrol station incident, a customer allegedly assaulted an employee after being told not to smoke on the premises. The suspect reportedly got out of his vehicle, beat the worker and fled.

Why are CCD encounters under scrutiny in Punjab?

Her remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of fatal police encounters involving Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD), following the death of a suspect accused of running over a 15-year-old orphan in Multan. The case has fueled debate over whether suspects should be brought to trial rather than killed in police operations.

The CCD was established in 2025 to tackle serious and organized crime, including criminal gangs operating across districts. The latest controversy followed the death of Tauqeer Nazir, who was arrested after allegedly chasing and running over 15-year-old Waseem Abbas in Multan.

Police later said Nazir had escaped custody and was killed in an encounter near Bahawalpur on October 21, claiming that he was shot by an accomplice during an exchange of fire. The circumstances surrounding his death prompted questions about how a suspect in police custody escaped and subsequently died during another operation.

The debate centers on whether police operations are being conducted within legal limits and whether suspects are being afforded due process. While the provincial government has defended the CCD’s role in tackling serious crime, rights advocates have argued that allegations of wrongdoing must be independently investigated and that criminal suspects should face the courts.

Maryam Nawaz said her government would continue to stand with people who had suffered abuse, warning those responsible for violence against women and children to abandon criminal activity or face the consequences.