The Punjab government will continue pursuing a rape case involving an Azerbaijani woman in Lahore despite her declaring suspect Ahmed Tanveer innocent, Information Minister Azma Bokhari said, adding that the case also involves kidnapping and robbery charges.
Speaking on a private media outlet talk show, Bokhari said that the inclusion of these charges meant the suspects could not simply be released on the basis of the woman’s latest statement.
The minister also confirmed that she had information about a judge allegedly accepting a bribe in connection with the case.
Bokhari said that Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz was willing to take the information available to her to the chief justice of Pakistan and was also prepared to meet the chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC).
She added that the chief minister would not allow a culture of hooliganism and lawlessness to continue in Punjab. The government was prepared to consider establishing special courts or improving existing laws to address the issue, she said.
The statements came after Diana, the Azerbaijani woman at the centre of the case, issued a new video statement declaring Tanveer innocent.
In the video, Diana said that Tanveer had not sexually assaulted her and questioned the grounds on which police had arrested him.
She also said that she had forgiven the two other suspects, Mohsin and Uzair and did not want to pursue the matter further.
However, Bokhari maintained that the government would continue with the case because of the other charges included in it.
