August 19, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
Police have arrested Abdul Rehman, who has been accused of sexually assaulting and blackmailing a university student in Lahore. The arrest was made following an FIR registered on August 17 under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the FIR, the complainant, father of the victim ‘M’, a BBA student at a private university, alleged that Rehman met his daughter at a university event about seven months ago, where they exchanged phone numbers. He reportedly befriended her and later assaulted her under the pretext of marriage.
Forced nikkah
The complainant stated that the accused had misled his daughter into believing a nikkah had taken place. However, when he demanded to see the nikahnama from the accused and his parents, none was provided. Instead, Abdul Rehman insisted that ‘M’ was his wife and should be sent with him, despite the absence of any official or legal record.
Threats and evidence
“When I found out about this, I called the accused and his parents and asked for the nikahnama. When he failed to provide it, he instead insisted that my daughter was now his wife and should be sent with him. The accused then began threatening my family with death and also threatened to leak the objectionable videos of my daughter,” the complainant stated in the FIR. He added that he has recordings of the threats issued by Rehman to his daughter, wife, and himself.
The father said the ordeal has gravely affected his daughter’s mental health and education. “My daughter has gone through a lot of mental stress, her education has been compromised, and even going outside the home has become a threat for us,” he said. “He committed a grave crime by assaulting my daughter and forcibly making objectionable videos. The accused should be given strict punishment so he cannot ruin the life of anyone’s daughter.”
The case comes against the backdrop of alarmingly high rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in Pakistan. According to the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), 32,617 GBV cases were reported nationwide in 2024, including 5,339 incidents of rape. Punjab accounted for the majority with 26,753 GBV cases, including 4,641 rapes. Yet conviction rates remain extremely low, only 0.4% in rape cases.
According to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) for the year 2024, the cases of sexual assault continued unabated, with police data pointing to 4,175 cases of rape, 733 of gang rape, 24 of custodial sexual assault, and 117 cases of incest-based sexual assault.
Police statement
Police have arrested the accused and he is under the custody of the Investigation Wing, SP Model Town Ikhlaq Ullah Tarr confirmed to Voicepk.net.
Cyber-harassment trends
The HRCP report further noted that the Digital Rights Foundation received 3,121 cases of cyber-harassment, the majority of which were registered in Punjab by women.
Globally, UNICEF estimates released in 2024 revealed that more than 370 million girls and women alive today, or one in eight, experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18.