Lahore: More than 500 cases involving missing girls remain pending in Pakistan’s Punjab province, while Lahore recorded 498 rape cases and 36 gang-rape cases in the first eight months of 2026, according to separate reports cited by Dawn and minority rights organisation Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM).
The figures came under scrutiny as Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum questioned Punjab’s police chief over delays in tracing missing girls and ordered a report on the efforts being made to locate them.
According to Dawn, Inspector General of Police Rao Abdul Karim appeared before the court during a hearing on a petition filed by Sadia Hussain, a resident of Faisalabad, who sought the recovery of her missing daughter.
Justice Neelum asked the IGP how many cases involving missing girls remained pending across Punjab. Karim told the court that more than 500 cases were unresolved.
Questioning the police response to cases involving missing women and children, the chief justice asked what mechanisms were in place to investigate them. The IGP said special committees had been established to handle such cases.
However, Justice Neelum criticised the police for appearing to act only after judicial intervention. She cited the case of a girl who had been missing for two years and was traced only after the court took notice of the matter.
Expressing concern over police negligence, the chief justice directed the IGP to submit a report detailing the steps taken to locate missing girls.
Lahore records 534 rape and gang-rape cases
Separately, Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), an organisation working on minority rights, reported that Lahore recorded 498 rape cases and 36 gang-rape cases between January and August 2026.
According to the organisation, the figures indicate that more than four such cases were reported daily on average.
VOPM warned that the reported offences were not restricted to marginalised neighbourhoods but also occurred in affluent residential areas, busy markets and other parts of the city.
The organisation said the situation reflected widespread violence and fear across communities.
It further stated that including cases of sodomy would bring the total number of reported sexual offences in Lahore during the eight-month period to 1,108.
Rights groups warn of under-reporting
VOPM stressed that the reported figures might represent only a fraction of the actual number of offences. Citing concerns repeatedly raised by human rights organisations, it said registered First Information Reports (FIRs) did not capture the full extent of sexual violence.
Fear of social stigma, shame, family pressure, distrust of the police and the risk of social ostracism often prevent victims from reporting crimes. Some remain silent, while others face pressure not to speak out or are blamed for the offences committed against them.
The organisation noted that an increase in registered cases could reflect both a rise in crime and a greater willingness among victims to report abuse.
However, it argued that increased reporting alone would not be enough unless authorities improved their response and provided effective support to those who came forward.
