Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan has formally apologised for slapping a police officer during the general elections.
In a hearing held at the Election Commission, chaired by Nisar Durrani, Awan expressed regret for the incident and sought forgiveness in a written statement submitted to the commission. The affected police officer also submitted a written response during the hearing.
During the inquiry, a member of the Election Commission questioned Awan, asking who she thought she was to take the law into her own hands.
Awan responded to the inquiry by stating that she apologizes for her actions, clarifying that the polling stations were in a chaotic state and that she was merely trying to ensure order.
She further stated that the police were a passive spectator and she felt threatened by the crowd.
The incident, which sparked widespread criticism on social media, has been under scrutiny by the Election Commission.
The commission has stated that it will issue further directives regarding the hearing at a later date.
On February 12, Awan said that she slapped a police officer as the person in uniform was facilitating one political party on election day. The IPP leader also said that if the law does not take its course, then citizens will teach corrupt police officers a lesson.
The video was widely slammed on social media, with users calling out the IPP leader for resorting to violence.
Read more: ‘Thappay par thappa’, Firdous explains why she slapped a police officer