LAHORE: Chief Justice Aalia Neelum of the Lahore High Court has issued important directives regarding the recovery of missing women across Punjab, ordering police authorities to ensure the recovery of all missing women within 15 days.
The directives were issued during the hearing of a petition seeking the recovery of a woman who was allegedly reported missing four years ago. During the proceedings, DIG Investigation Punjab Shoaib Khurram appeared before the court.
The court ordered that instructions be issued to all police officers across Punjab to take immediate and effective measures for tracing and recovering missing women.
According to a police report submitted before the court, a total of 3,252 cases involving missing women were registered across Punjab between 2021 and April 2026. Of these, 1,405 women have been recovered, while 1,853 remain missing.
The chief justice questioned how much time would be required to recover the remaining missing women. In response, the DIG Investigation sought two months to address the cases. However, the chief justice expressed dissatisfaction and remarked that the police had already had years to deal with the matter, describing the situation as a failure on the part of the department.
The court also inquired about the welfare and safety of women who had already been recovered. The DIG informed the court that all recovered women were safe, adding that some had entered into marriages of their own choice while others had returned to their families.
According to the police, nearly 80 percent of the missing women who were later traced had contracted marriages by choice.
Expressing concern over the large number of women who remain unaccounted for, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum observed that nothing is known about the circumstances of those still missing and described the matter as highly serious.
The court further questioned whether an effective system existed for collecting and managing data related to missing women. In response, the DIG stated that teams were currently engaged in gathering relevant information.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum directed the authorities to establish a proper and effective mechanism for dealing with such cases to ensure investigations are conducted efficiently and systematically.
The hearing was conducted on a petition filed by Salma Bibi, who had approached the Lahore High Court seeking the recovery of her daughter, Muqadas Bibi, who remains missing.
