ASP Shehrbano leads 'awareness walk' in Lahore to condemn violence against women

Women from different walks of life held an awareness walk in Lahore under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, in which the marchers carried posters bearing the Arabic word Halwa.

The other banners raised by the women marchers read "Never Again" and "End Violence Against Women".

The awareness walk was organised by the Punjab police to denounce the violence against women.

At the end of a march, ASP Naqvi delivered a fiery speech, terming the Icchra Bazaar incident as a critical question on “society's conscience.”

“If 200 people can be ready to lynch her, why can’t six hundred people be ready to protect her?” she questioned referring to the incident in which an enraged mob accused the girl of blasphemy for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy.

"It is definitely the job of the police to protect the people, but every common people also have the responsibility to protect the people around them," she added.

Earlier in an interview with Sky News, the courageous cop expressed hope that this would be the last time such an unfortunate incident occurs in Pakistan.

Describing the scene, the lady police officer recounted her five-minute walk from the main road to the incident location.

According to her, the area is a bustling bazaar crowded with customers and multiple shops, yet “people were going on with their daily activities, all the while knowing that there’s a woman surrounded by around 200 people, ready to be lynched.”