LHC expresses strong displeasure over non-recovery of missing women and girls across Punjab
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has expressed strong displeasure over the performance of Punjab Police regarding the non-recovery of missing women and girls across the province, terming the situation a result of administrative failure and expressing dissatisfaction with the submitted report.
Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Alia Neelam heard a petition filed by petitioner Salma Bibi seeking the recovery of allegedly abducted girls. During the proceedings, senior police officials including DIG Investigation Punjab Shoaib Khurram Janbaz, DIG Legal Awais Malik, and other officers appeared before the court, while the Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar submitted a report on behalf of the Inspector General of Police.
The court was informed that as of April 22, 2026, a total of 3,258 women and girls were reported missing across Punjab, out of which 1,405 have so far been recovered, while 1,853 remain untraced. Expressing concern, the Chief Justice remarked that timely and effective measures could have changed the situation significantly.
During the hearing, the court also reviewed long-term data on missing persons cases. DIG Investigation informed the court that these cases include FIRs registered from 2021 to date, with a total of 105,244 FIRs lodged. He added that 103,351 women and girls have been recovered in total, while 1,847 cases are still pending.
When questioned about the circumstances under which recovered girls were found, the DIG Investigation stated that around 80 percent had married of their own free will, leading to the dismissal of kidnapping charges in those cases. He further stated that approximately 15 percent of the women returned home voluntarily and gave statements in favor of their families.
The police sought an additional two months to recover the remaining missing girls, but Chief Justice Alia Neelam rejected the request, observing that six years had already passed and further delay could not be justified. She questioned what concrete mechanisms had been put in place for the recovery of the remaining cases.
The court was informed that special teams have been formed and operations are ongoing under a structured strategy to trace the missing individuals.
The Lahore High Court directed police authorities to submit a detailed progress report within two weeks and observed that practical results must be demonstrated within fifteen days. The court later adjourned further proceedings until June 18.