LAHORE
Petitioner’s counsel questions investigation process
Counsel for petitioner Imaan*, Waqar Khan Seehar, strongly criticised the handling of the investigation and questioned how accused nominated in multiple FIRs involving allegations of rape, blackmail and exploitation were declared innocent during the police investigation. Speaking to Voicepk, Seehar said accused Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool had been declared innocent during the police investigation across all three FIRs.
“In Imaan’s case, the police position is that there is no evidence against them, while in Ayesha’s case, the grounds provided are that the complainant is not appearing before the court,” he said. The counsel further alleged that complainant Ayesha* repeatedly attempted to contact Investigation Officer (IO) Nadia Riaz regarding hearing dates and investigation proceedings, but received no response.
“Ayesha has continuously been asking the investigation officer about the details of the case, including dates on which she is required to appear before the court or police station, but the IO has not been responding to her,” he claimed. Seehar also questioned why statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) — judicial statements recorded before a magistrate — had still not been recorded despite multiple court hearings.
“It is shocking that the Section 164 statements have still not been recorded in court. Four hearings have already taken place, the accused have repeatedly been sent to jail on remand, yet the statements have not been recorded,” he said. Referring to the earlier court order against the investigation officer, Seehar said no action had yet been taken despite judicial directions.
“The court directed the DPO to take strict action against the IO, but no action has been taken so far. We formally requested the DPO through an application to change the investigation officer, but there has still been no response,” he said. Questioning the overall investigation process, he added: “How can accused nominated in three FIRs involving such serious allegations be declared innocent without a proper investigation?”
Defence counsel says police record still incomplete
Meanwhile, the lawyer, Naeem Shah, representing the accused, also questioned the pace and clarity of the investigation, arguing that police had yet to place a complete record before the court.
“The hearing of the case was fixed on 11th May, 2026, and Muhammad Shoaib was granted bail. In the second and third FIRs, the accused party does not even know who the complainants are. No challans have yet been submitted by the investigation officer,” the counsel told Voicepk. He further stated: “The case remains uncertain. However, the conduct of police has also not appeared to favour the accused. There is still no proper line of record presented before the court.”
Survivors say police failed to facilitate their participation in proceedings
Meanwhile, complainant Imaan* told Voicepk that she and her family had formally requested the removal of the investigation officer from the case.
“We submitted an application in the DPO office on May 11 requesting a change of the investigation officer, and the receiving of the application has been provided to Voicepk. However, there has been no implementation yet,” she said. She further alleged that despite repeated attempts, District Police Officer (DPO) Layyah, Hassan Javed Bhatti, had not met the family.
“We waited in his office for hours requesting a meeting, but the DPO did not meet me or my family,” she alleged.Another complainant, Ayesha*, who filed a separate FIR in the case, also raised concerns regarding communication and coordination with police.
“I am a mother of three and facing serious health issues. I cannot repeatedly travel from Toba Tek Singh to Layyah,” she told Voicepk. According to Ayesha*, she repeatedly requested Investigation Officer Nadia Riaz and the SHO to facilitate her participation in proceedings remotely.
“I requested them multiple times to arrange Zoom calls for court hearings, but there has been no response from police,” she said.
Court earlier raised concerns over conduct of Investigation Officer
Concerns regarding the investigation process had also surfaced in a court order dated May 6, 2026. According to the order, the court observed that accused Mudassir Nawaz had already been in custody in FIR No. 380/2026, but despite this, no effort had been made by the investigation officer to formally investigate him in the present FIR.
The order stated: “The factum of accused person being behind the bars is well within the knowledge of the investigating officer but no effort has been made on her behalf to investigate the accused person which is mandatory. This clearly shows mala-fide of the investigating officer.”
The court subsequently referred the matter to the DPO Layyah with directions to initiate disciplinary action against Investigation Officer Nadia Riaz and instructed the investigation officer to proceed strictly in accordance with law.Background of the case.
The case first surfaced after FIR No. 330/26 was registered on April 12 under Sections 376 and 337-J of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of a woman identified as Imaan*. The complainant alleged that she had enrolled in a training course at Ahad e-Commerce Institute in TDA Colony, Layyah, where accused Mudassir Nawaz allegedly invited her to the institute under the pretext of a training session.
According to the FIR, the complainant alleged that she was served a strawberry drink after which she began feeling dizzy. She stated that Mudassir Nawaz allegedly attempted to sexually assault her inside the institute premises, but she managed to escape and later reported the incident to police. Following the circulation of the first case on social media by Layyah Police, two additional FIRs were registered by other women alleging rape, blackmail, intimidation and exploitation involving some of the same accused. The second FIR included allegations that objectionable videos were used for blackmail and extortion, while the third FIR involved allegations by a woman from Toba Tek Singh who said she had been lured to Layyah under the pretext of purchasing a vehicle on installments before allegedly being assaulted and blackmailed.
Police had earlier stated that inappropriate chats and content were recovered from the mobile phone of accused Mudassir Nawaz, which investigators said provided leads for further investigation into the matter and identification of possible additional victims. However, DPO Layyah had denied that investigators had found evidence confirming allegations regarding transmission or sale of inappropriate content online.