LAHORE  -  Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari Monday said there was no need to form a judicial commission to investigate the May 9 incident as all the cases are open and shut. The information minister stated this while replying to a question during a press conference she addressed along with  Social Protection Authority chairperson Hina Pervaiz Butt. Azma Bokhari said that the Peshawar High Court had declared that establishing a judicial commission is illegal. She alleged that the PTI members were trying to use the hammer of a judicial commission to gain relief. “The incident of May 9 did not occur suddenly; it was preceded by Imran Khan’s 70 rallies, long marches, and inflammatory speeches”, she said, adding that it was an open and shut case as sufficient evidence supporting the involvement of the PTI and its founder was available. She questioned if Hassaan Niazi, Imran Khan’s nephew, wasn’t aware of the attacks, and if Yasmin Rashid or Ejaz Chaudhry didn’t inform their sons where to strike. Was it just a coincidence that only military installations or cantonments were targeted and offices set on fire in every city? No one will let Imran Khan deny the attacks of May 9. “While Imran Khan’s children are indulging in luxury at Goldsmith House, he is arming other people’s children with rifles and petrol bombs”, she remarked. The information minister accused PTI leaders of inciting people to leave their homes. Those who burned hospitals, toll plazas, and military statues are now asking for forgiveness. She criticized them for dreaming of turning Pakistan into Turkey, then Sri Lanka, and now aiming to make it Bangladesh. She questioned where Imran Khan’s children are and remarked that while they previously glorified Sheikh Mujib, they have remained silent as his effigies are being burned. She also mentioned that a prisoner in Adiala Jail had threatened that if he were arrested again, there would be similar attacks. In response to a question, she said that the Jamaat-e-Islami has not received as many votes as the number of protests they have held. She accused Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman of believing that protests are the solution to all problems and suggested that if that is the case, they should continue with their protests. She criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister stating that his sole job seems to be pleasing his master Imran Khan. “People in KP are drowning in floods, bridges are collapsing, government employees have stopped working, and doctors are absent from hospitals”.

Talking about Sania Zahra murder case, the minister stated that the murder was initially disguised as suicide, with the in-laws claiming the girl hung herself. “Forensic tests have confirmed Sania Zahra’s murder. Whether women are at home or work, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has a zero-tolerance policy for violence against them. She expressed these views during a press conference at DGPR”. Chairperson of the Social Protection Authority Hina Pervaiz Butt stated that forensic tests have confirmed Sania Zahra’s murder, and no influence or pressure has been considered. “The era where murders could be disguised as suicides to avoid detection is over. We cannot allow our girls to be murdered”, she affirmed.

Hina mentioned that societal intolerance causes women to become victims of domestic violence. Virtual women’s police stations are providing facilities to women, and many women are working in the police force as SPs and DSPs. She added that Sania Zahra’s neck had a noose, and the fact that she was hung after being killed is evident. The exhumation of the girl’s body and the Lahore forensic report revealed that Sania Zahra’s husband and mother-in-law’s DNA matched. Despite being in police custody, the victim’s husband, Ali Raza, was not willing to provide his DNA. The suspect and his mother’s polygraph tests have been conducted, and the result is positive. She emphasized that this is a test case and requested the courts to punish the murderers of Sania Zahra.