By Afshain Afzal

Highly disturbing, degrading, and humiliating events were intentionally crafted and later propagated on national and Indian media claiming that events were in protest over ghost rape of a college girl in Lahore. The timings coincided with an international event in Pakistan, where ideally coverage was to be given to Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) scheduled on 15 – 16 October 2024. In well-organized black propaganda against Punjab Group of Colleges system, college administration and teaching staff were abused by the students and parents, manhandled by outsiders, and even slapped on the faces of college professors while school property was badly damaged throughout Punjab.

It all happened as a result of well-planed Police action against the spirit and violation of Police Order 2002 as well as social media campaigns to keep alive non-existent girl’s rape whose existence could not be confirmed by anyone even after the passage of five days. Despite that no one came out to identify the ghost invisible Miss Nobody against whom alleged rape was committed registered and non-registered news channels and social media apps including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc continued their propaganda from Saturday night, 12 October 2024, till to date.

As per the statement of the administration of Punjab Group of Colleges SSP Ayaz of Model Town visited the college campus No 10 at 0930 hours and asked College Vice Principal to call security guard namely ‘Ohn’ and instruct to immediately report back. The Vice Principal of the college phoned in front of SSP and ordered security guard to report back, after which school authorities were warned not to contact security guard Ohn again. SSP took along all evidence including DVR, DDV of 10 GB CCTV footage, leaving no evidence for college authorities to rely upon. When last reports came in college security guard namely Ohn and all the equipment in the school was still in Police custody.

It is quite shocking that even after the passage of five days Police has not lodged any First Information Report (FIR) pertaining to rape of any college girl or FIR against College girls who misguided the authorities by telling a lie as a witness to the incident of rape, In any case FIR has to be lodged against someone or against ASP Syeda Sher Bano Naqvi and Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran and other Police personnel for entering women college without ladies police, harassing students, causing damages worth millions of rupees to the colleges and leaving ambiguity in their statements to create law and order situation, throughout the country

We have the Lahore High Court’s Judgment, 2013 PLD 442 LAHORE-HIGH-COURT-LAHORE [p. 444] A S. 154 ---Police Rules, 1934, Chap. 34, R.1---Registration of FIR - Police carrying out inquiry/investigation prior to Registration of FIR. Legality Police officer did not have the authority to carry out an inquiry prior to Registration of a FIR so why security guards is under illegal detention. Ironically, even after the passage of five days with no trace of any rape, these Police officers are still asking the students and general public to come up with name of girls who was raped so that FIR case be lodged.

Meanwhile a committee was constituted which recorded the statements of DIG Operations Faisal Kamran, Director and Principal of the college, Gulberg ASP Sheharbano Naqvi, Security Incharge of college, Rescue Officer Shahid and 28 students. The first-year student and her parents, who were linked to the alleged rape episode on social media, said in their statement that the girl fell at home on 2 October due to which she hospitalized and on leave from school till 15 October 2024.

The excellent performances of all the educational institutions of Mian Amer Mahmood, the chairman of Punjab Group of Colleges network has earned these institutions Pakistan’s top educational institutions. To quote examples, in year 2024, Punjab Colleges have secured 142 top positions in all boards; in Multan Board Punjab Colleges bagged the first and third positions; in Rawalpindi Board

Punjab Colleges bagged first, second and third positions; in Faisalabad Board

Punjab Colleges bagged first, second and third positions; in Gujranwala Board Punjab Colleges got the third position; in Sargodha and Bahawalpur, Punjab Colleges bagged second and third positions while in Lahore Board, Sahiwal Board and DG Khan Board Punjab Colleges secured nineteen, nine and five positions. In 2023 too as well as earlier years Punjab Group of Colleges top positions.

Despite these flying colors few days back, there was a lot of propaganda against Punjab College located at Gulberg – III, Lahore on ground that a school guard raped a female student when no evidence could be found. The recordings from all college cameras and statements of officials from the college, no such incident ever took place and there was no evidence of the incident but social media still creating hype without naming the student or producing an eye witness. One wonders why FIR is not being lodged against those who misguided Police and the general public and created a law and order situation. To damage the reputation of Punjab Group of Colleges Punjab government has canceled the registration of the branch where the self-engineered fake incident reportedly took place. There are reports that the rivals and competitors in educational institutions were behind it due to jealousy. It is high time that there should be checks on Police powers and social media’s authenticity.