LHC Missing Girls Case: Court Raps Police TikTok Videos

In the LHC missing girls case, the Lahore High Court on Thursday questioned Punjab police officers for making TikTok videos about missing girls, asking how officers busy recording clips could trace the children they were meant to find.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum raised the issue while hearing a petition by Salma Bibi, who has asked the court to recover her daughter, said to be missing. The chief justice said she was not satisfied with the committee formed to recover missing girls, and summoned Inspector General of Police Abdul Karim in person on November 11.

“How police officers engaged in such activities [making video clips] would trace the missing girls,” the chief justice asked during the hearing.

LHC missing girls case: the numbers before the court

A law officer placed a report before the court on cases of abduction and recovery of girls across Punjab. The report said police had recovered 2,810 girls, while 452 remained missing.

Four of the outstanding cases dated back to 2021. The chief justice noted the delay in plain terms. “Where would police look for the cases registered in 2021? We are now in 2026. We cannot wait until 2032 to examine cases registered in 2024,” she observed.

The figures mean that about 86 in every 100 reported cases have ended in recovery, but more than 450 families are still waiting for news of their daughters. An officer of the investigation wing told the court that most of the outstanding cases had been reported from Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Nankana Sahib.

The court has taken up the issue before. Feature Pakistan reported in October that the court had sought details of 500 missing girls in the province, and the latest hearing shows the bench is still pressing the police for results.

Why the videos drew the court’s ire

Punjab DIG (Crimes) Ali Janbaz and DIG (Legal) Awais Malik appeared before the court on Thursday. The officers told the chief justice that a social media application had helped trace a considerable number of missing girls.

The court was not convinced that this justified officers filming themselves. The chief justice was informed that action would be taken against the police officials involved in making and uploading the TikTok videos.

The episode sits uneasily with the way social media is policed in Pakistan. The telecom regulator has repeatedly moved against TikTok content, and the PTA recently clarified that a viral ban notice was fake. In this case, the videos were not made by members of the public. They were made by the police officers handling the cases themselves.

What happens next

The chief justice adjourned further proceedings until November 11, when the inspector general of police is to appear in person. The court will then take up the report on recoveries and the action taken against the officers who made the videos.

The case has drawn attention to the rights of missing children and their families, an issue that campaigners say needs a stronger response from the state. Punjab police have faced questions from the courts in other cases too, including a bail matter involving drug suspects that raised concerns about police practice.

For the families of the 452 girls still missing, the next hearing is the next chance for answers. The court has made clear it expects the police chief himself to explain what is being done.

Dawn reported the hearing on Thursday.

Frequently asked questions

How many missing girls have police recovered in Punjab?

Police told the Lahore High Court they had recovered 2,810 girls in cases of abduction and recovery across the province.

How many girls are still missing?

According to the report placed before the court, 452 girls remained missing, including four cases that date back to 2021.

What did the chief justice say about the TikTok videos?

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum asked how police officers busy making TikTok videos would trace the missing girls, and was told that action would be taken against the officers involved.

When will the case be heard again?

The chief justice adjourned proceedings until November 11, when Inspector General of Police Abdul Karim is to appear in person.