Maryam Nawaz backs tit-for-tat reply in assault cases

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has backed a tit-for-tat response to assaults, telling a ceremony in Mandi Bahauddin that she advised a woman attacked while riding a scooter to slap her attacker back.

Maryam was speaking at a Honhaar Scholarship and laptop distribution ceremony at the University of Rasul on Tuesday. She said influential offenders would face the law regardless of wealth or connections, including those from her own party.

“Governing through fear is not governance; keep one principle and remain consistent,” she said. She added that the government stood with victims and would not compromise on the dignity of poor citizens.

The Lahore scooter case

The chief minister pointed to a recent incident in Lahore in which a man assaulted a woman riding a scooter. According to the account she gave, the man overtook the woman on a busy road, placed his motorcycle in front of her scooter and attacked her.

Police traced the man with the help of footage and data from dozens of cameras run by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. A court later ordered his release if he was not wanted in any other case.

That sequence sits at the centre of the debate Maryam raised. The cameras helped police make a quick arrest, yet the accused walked free from custody soon after. Her answer to that gap was direct: she said she had advised the victim to return as many slaps as she had received.

The same issue came up in a second case she cited. At a petrol pump in Lahore’s Jubilee Town, an employee reportedly asked a customer not to smoke on the premises. The man then stepped out of his sports utility vehicle, beat the employee and fled. Maryam said she had taken the same position in that case.

A meeting with the chief justices

Maryam said she would meet the chief justice of the Lahore High Court over the pattern of accused persons securing bail soon after arrest.

“I will meet the chief justice of the Lahore High Court so that at least the offender receives a punishment that makes him feel ashamed when he steps outside the next day,” she said. She added that she would approach the chief justice of Pakistan if needed.

Bail decisions rest with the courts, so her planned meeting is a request for a stricter approach rather than an order. The distinction matters. The chief minister can raise the issue with the judiciary, but she cannot direct how a judge rules in a given case.

Her remarks also carried a warning to offenders. She urged those who harmed women and children to stop, and said wealth and influence would not place anyone beyond the reach of the law.

Action against a police officer

Separately, Maryam announced criminal and departmental proceedings against Sub-Inspector Awais Arshad over claims that he slapped a citizen during a hotel inspection.

The officer had gone to the hotel for verification when the alleged assault took place, she said in a social media post. An FIR was registered against him, he was arrested and suspended from service, and a charge sheet was issued to start departmental disciplinary proceedings.

She said strict accountability was being pursued to stop the misuse of authority and to protect citizens’ dignity, honour and rights.

The wider message

Maryam also recalled a fatal incident in Multan in which a man ran over an orphan teenager. She said the incident continued to haunt her, and linked it to her government’s broader push on public welfare.

At the same ceremony, she said scholarships and laptops were being handed out strictly on merit. Students would also receive electric buses, she said, and urged them to remain loyal to Pakistan in return.

The speech combined two messages that run through her government’s public appearances: welfare delivery for students, and a hard line on street crime and abuse of power. The tit-for-tat remark is the sharpest version of the second message yet, and it is likely to draw both support and criticism in the days ahead.

What did Maryam Nawaz say about assault cases?

She said she advised a woman attacked while riding a scooter in Lahore to slap her attacker back, and took the same position in a petrol pump assault case.

Why does she want to meet the Lahore High Court chief justice?

She wants offenders to face punishment that deters repeat offences, and is concerned that accused persons often secure bail soon after arrest.

What action was taken against Sub-Inspector Awais Arshad?

• The Express Tribune, “Maryam backs ‘tit-for-tat’ response in assault cases” (28 October 2026): https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637343/maryam-backs-tit-for-tat-response-in-assault-cases