ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Tuesday formed a committee to investigate the alleged rape of a college student in the eastern city of Lahore, following clashes between police and students over the reported incident. 

Hundreds of students on Monday staged protests over the reported rape of a student of a private college in Lahore, forcing the closure of one of the campuses while police and provincial government officials denied the incident took place.

The incident was first reported on social media over the weekend, with varying accounts stating the rape took place on Thursday or Friday evening in the basement of the Punjab College for Women campus in Lahore. Police on Monday said no victim had come forward to file a complaint and the college dismissed the allegations as “false.”

“Apropos the subject, the chief minister has constituted a high-powered committee to investigate the reported incident of rape crime at the Punjab College for Women,” a government notification shared by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling party in Punjab province, said. 

The seven-member committee is headed by the chief secretary with the advocate general of Punjab, home secretary, higher education secretary, special education department secretary and specialized health care and medical education department secretary as members. The seventh member would be any other member co-opted by the committee, the notification said. 

Police on Monday took into custody a security guard who was identified as the culprit by students online. The notification said that one of the terms of reference of the committee would be to gather facts, collect evidence and record any statements related to the alleged incident. 

It would also ascertain the appropriateness of the responses to the incident by the college and the Punjab Police when the incident came to light. 

“The committee shall submit the report along with the findings to the chief minister within 48 hours,” the notification said.

In a video statement shared on social media, the father of the alleged rape victim regretted that his daughter’s name was being associated with the incident. Standing beside Additional Superintendent of Police Shehrbano Naqvi, the father said his daughter was admitted to a hospital after she slipped and suffered an injury to her backbone. 

“We have handed her medical reports and everything to the police,” he said. “Those who have daughters, only then can understand the pain we are going through [because of the rumors.]“

KARACHI: Pakistan’s polio program said this week another case of the poliovirus has been reported from the country’s southwestern Quetta district, taking the total number of cases this year to 33. 

Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. Starting from late 2018, Pakistan saw a resurgence of cases and increased spread of polio, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.

“Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type-1 case from Quetta District of Balochistan,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme said on Monday. 

The total number of poliovirus cases this year from Balochistan has increased to 17 while the number of cases reported from Sindh are 10. The northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has reported four while one case each has been reported from Punjab and Islamabad.

The polio program said that environmental samples from Quetta district and Quetta city have been consistently positive for poliovirus this year, indicating continued circulation of the virus and risk to children. It added that this year, 37 positive environmental samples and three cases have been reported from Quetta, while Quetta district has reported 65 positive environmental samples and 11 cases.

The program said implementing polio campaigns across Pakistan was a “challenge” last year. 

“Campaigns were staggered or postponed due to localized protests, boycotts and insecurity, leading to a cohort of missed children who can sustain poliovirus transmission,” the statement said. “This outbreak is indicative of the harm children suffer due to missed vaccination opportunities.”

Pakistan’s polio eradication program began in 1994 and the number of cases has declined dramatically since then but the country continues to face challenges in its fight against polio, including militancy, with polio workers targeted by attacks, particularly in the KP province.

The polio program has adapted to respond to climate disasters such as floods but continues to face disruptions. There are also gaps in supplementary immunization activities, especially in areas where the virus is still present.