Lahore, Punjab's first woman Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday dismissed allegations of an on-campus rape incident at a Lahore college as fabricated, accusing Pakistan's jailed former premier Imran Khan's party of using the false claim to incite widespread student protests and create unrest in the province. She also demanded that Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party be treated in the same way as "banned organisations" in the country.
Maryam, daughter of former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, claimed that the rape incident was fabricated to create unrest in Punjab. She accused political opponents, particularly PTI, of using students and the media to propagate false information for political gains.
On Wednesday, a large number of students held demonstrations in Jehlum, Faisalabad, and Gujrat, demanding justice for the alleged rape victim.
However, the chief minister stated that no incident of rape took place at the Punjab College for Women in Lahore. She alleged that PTI and its media supporters spread the fake news to destabilise the province by manipulating innocent students.
On Monday, at least 28 students, including girls, were injured during clashes with police over the alleged rape incident. Protesters claimed that the college administration had deleted CCTV footage to cover up the case.
Maryam accused PTI of attempting to destabilise the government by spreading false narratives, particularly during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which portrayed Pakistan positively on the global stage. The two-day SCO summit concluded on Wednesday.
She warned of strict action against those spreading fake news, including media personnel. "On social media, a factory of lies is running. PTI's politics have sunk so low that it is exploiting tragedies for political gain," Maryam said, adding that the girl in question had suffered a back injury, not a rape, and was in the hospital ICU since October 2, contradicting the circulated claims.
Addressing PTI founder Khan, who has been incarcerated in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for the last 15 months, she remarked, "If politics stoops to such levels of inhumanity, then you deserve to be where you are."
The chief minister also accused certain individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and abroad of fuelling the controversy through fake news.
"The issue isn't social media, but rather PTI, which needs to be controlled...and everything will be fine. They are operating through fake accounts," she alleged.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing has launched a probe against those involved in spreading disinformation through social media platforms about the alleged on-campus rape incident.
A seven-member team headed by Deputy Director Cybercrime Lahore Waqas Saeed will identify individuals responsible for the disinformation campaign and the subsequent law-and-order situation.
Maryam, daughter of former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, claimed that the rape incident was fabricated to create unrest in Punjab. She accused political opponents, particularly PTI, of using students and the media to propagate false information for political gains.
On Wednesday, a large number of students held demonstrations in Jehlum, Faisalabad, and Gujrat, demanding justice for the alleged rape victim.
However, the chief minister stated that no incident of rape took place at the Punjab College for Women in Lahore. She alleged that PTI and its media supporters spread the fake news to destabilise the province by manipulating innocent students.
On Monday, at least 28 students, including girls, were injured during clashes with police over the alleged rape incident. Protesters claimed that the college administration had deleted CCTV footage to cover up the case.
Maryam accused PTI of attempting to destabilise the government by spreading false narratives, particularly during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which portrayed Pakistan positively on the global stage. The two-day SCO summit concluded on Wednesday.
She warned of strict action against those spreading fake news, including media personnel. "On social media, a factory of lies is running. PTI's politics have sunk so low that it is exploiting tragedies for political gain," Maryam said, adding that the girl in question had suffered a back injury, not a rape, and was in the hospital ICU since October 2, contradicting the circulated claims.
Addressing PTI founder Khan, who has been incarcerated in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for the last 15 months, she remarked, "If politics stoops to such levels of inhumanity, then you deserve to be where you are."
The chief minister also accused certain individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and abroad of fuelling the controversy through fake news.
"The issue isn't social media, but rather PTI, which needs to be controlled...and everything will be fine. They are operating through fake accounts," she alleged.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing has launched a probe against those involved in spreading disinformation through social media platforms about the alleged on-campus rape incident.
A seven-member team headed by Deputy Director Cybercrime Lahore Waqas Saeed will identify individuals responsible for the disinformation campaign and the subsequent law-and-order situation.
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