LAHORE, Jan 15 (APP):Prosecutor General Punjab Farhad Ali Shah Wednesday took notice of a assault incident involving a three-year-old girl in Jhang and declared it a high-profile case.
Under Section (3)10(c) of the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service Act, the prosecutor general summoned the investigative officer to review the progress on the investigation and provide a line of inquiry. The investigative officer appeared with the case records and briefed the prosecutor general on the progress made so far.
The prosecutor general raised concerns about why the case was not being investigated under the Anti-Rape Act 2021, which mandates such cases to be handled by the Special Sexual Offense Investigation Unit (SSOIU) under a grade-17 officer.
The officer was unable to justify the lapse, leading the prosecutor general to issue directives to the District Police Officer (DPO) Jhang. The DPO has been instructed to hand over the investigation to the SSOIU and provide an explanation for the lack of adherence to the Anti-Rape Act and associated rules. “Implementation of the law is a constitutional responsibility of all institutions, as per the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz and the Lahore High Court’s directives. No negligence will be tolerated,” said Farhad Ali.
