Islamabad: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has convened an urgent high level conference with senior police command from all four provinces and federal territories to address a severe spike in gender based violence across Pakistan. Chaired by NCSW Chairperson Noureen Bano Lehri, the session focused on high profile homicides and assaults, specifically citing the cases of Hina Javed, Ayat Noor, and Asma Jattak.
The Commission also voiced deep alarm over the recent deaths of infants Kulsoom Mohammed Qasim and Aizal in Karachi, as well as the sexual assault of a nine year old girl in Shikarpur. Chairperson Lehri instructed police chiefs to guarantee transparent, merit based investigations and warned that administrative negligence or procedural delays would meet zero tolerance.
To eliminate systemic barriers to justice, the NCSW called for the immediate establishment of specialised courts and dedicated judicial mechanisms designed to expedite gender based violence trials. Senior police representatives including SSP Investigations Punjab Khurram Shehzad, DIG Crimes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Hussain, SSP Kamar Rizvi from Sindh, and Additional IGP Operations Balochistan Shahzad Akbar were directed to increase targeted street patrolling, expand surveillance near educational institutions, and run sensitisation campaigns aimed at educating young men.
Furthermore, the Commission mandated strict legal action to dismantle illegal tribal jirgas that operate as parallel judicial systems to strip women of their constitutional rights. Under new operational guidelines, all provincial IGPs must submit monthly progress reports detailing investigation timelines, conviction rates, and departmental capacity building.
The NCSW Complaint Management System is being integrated directly with provincial police leadership to streamline real time complaint referrals and emergency interventions. The commission also issued binding directives regarding prison reform, mandating special monitoring for female inmates and ensuring that incarcerated women engaged in vocational labour receive equal pay matching their male counterparts, alongside comprehensive skills training to support post release rehabilitation.
