LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum on Monday expressed her displeasure at the absence of the attorney generalforPakistanin ahearing relating to the implementation of Anti-Rape Act 2021.

The chief justice was heading a full bench seized with a bail petition of a rape suspect and other petitions regarding police investigation in rape cases.

Justice Farooq Haider and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa were the other members at the bench.

During the hearing, Advocate General of Punjab Khalid Ishaq informed the bench that women officers had been appointed inevery Anti-Rape Crisis Centre across the province for such cases and that the medical officers and other relevant staff were undergoing training.

The bench inquired about the procurement of 32,000 kits for the DNA testing and was informed by the advocate general that numerous shortcomings had been addressed as per the court orders. The chief justice remarked that such cases were given priority at every stage in the courts, but delays occurred due to late submission of charge sheets and evidence.

`If these cases are conducted as per the law, the offenders will not escape punishment,` she asserted. The advocate general told the bench that relevant offi-cials and staff were being trained to improve the process.

Punjab IGP Usman Anwar also appeared before the bench and shared advancements in handling rape cases, highlighting the establishment of a virtual police station through the Punjab Safe City Authority. He said the virtual station allows the victims to file complaints via email, phone, or WhatsApp. He mentioned the recruitment and specialised training of 2,100 women officers, including 880 investigating officers. He said all of whom had at least a graduate-level education and each officer manages an average of53 cases.

Chief Justice Neelum observed that rape and drug-related crimes were now the most prevalent, sur-passing murder cases, which used to be the highest-reported crimes.

She stressed that the court`s primary objective was to ensure the implementation of the Anti-Rape Act 2021 in its true spirit and also preventing the filing of false cases.

The chief justice noted that public interest was central to this case and the full bench was reviewing the matter with due diligence. The bench also urged collaboration between the IGP, advocate general, and other relevant authorities to address deficiencies in the rules and implement effective solutions.

The bench adjourned the hearing till Feb 10, declaring the matter of utmost importance.It directed the attorney general to appear at the next hearing.