“They’re Pakistan’s youth, not PTI’s:” Bilal Qureshi criticises CM Maryam for politicising PGC rape incident

Renowned actor Bilal Qureshi criticised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif for politicising the alleged rape incident at Punjab College Campus 10, which she stated was based on false information and never occurred.

CM Maryam on Wednesday stated that PTI and PML-Q were responsible for spreading fake news about a sexual assault involving a female student at a private college in Punjab.

She asserted that a thorough investigation had revealed no such incident took place.

The actor took to Instagram, expressing relief that the news turned out to be false, but objected to CM Maryam for accusing student protesters of being instigated by PTI.

"Why does the state link every tragic incident to politics in the country? They are Pakistan’s youth, not PTI’s” he wrote in his post.

He also questioned, "Why was the CCTV footage deleted?" and asked why PML-N Information Minister Azma Bukhari allegedly warned against asking questions during the press conference.

The alleged rape incident went viral on social media, with multiple accounts claiming that a security guard had assaulted a first-year intermediate student in the basement of Punjab College Campus 10, located in Lahore’s Gulberg area.

The college administration dismissed the allegations as propaganda and a media stunt, stating, “98% of the female students seen in the viral videos on social media do not belong to this campus."

An FIR was lodged at Defence A police station at the request of the college management. Authorities contacted several students as part of the investigation.

On Monday evening, ASP Sheherbano Naqvi released a video statement alongside the victim’s father and uncle, describing the incident as “propaganda” and “misinformation.”