Punjab lawmaker Hina Parvez Butt on Thursday defended herself after a social media post by her regarding an alleged encounter by Punjab’s Crime Control Department prompted outrage and criticism.
On Wednesday, a suspect accused of running over a teenage boy who worked for him with his car in a private housing society in Multan, was killed in an alleged encounter in Bahawalpur. The killing of the teenager, Waseem, had sparked anger among the public, with a police officer saying the he had been “subjected to barbarity”.
“This is [Punjab Chief Minister] Maryam Nawaz sahiba’s government; justice is served immediately,” Butt subsequently wrote on X, sharing screengrabs of a TV report regarding the alleged encounter. She later deleted the post after it was widely panned for “celebrating extrajudicial killings”.
In a video statement posted on X on Thursday, Butt said: “I posted a tweet in which I said, ‘This is Maryam Nawaz Sharif sahiba’s government; justice is served immediately’. This was my personal opinion and creating propaganda on this was uncalled for.”
She said that the post was meant to express the “feelings of an ordinary citizen”. She asserted that she did not blame the chief minister, the Punjab government or talk about any institution. She said that criticising her for this was “uncalled for”.
She also took exception to remarks by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, saying that she “respectfully disagreed”.
On Wednesday night, Bokhari had appeared on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath’, where she was asked about Butt’s post.
The Punjab minister said that Butt had a habit of saying things without thinking them through, which caused problems for her and become a “source of embarrassment for the government”.
Referring to the remarks, Butt said: “None of my actions or words have ever harmed or embarrassed the Punjab chief minister or the government. If Azma Bokhari sahiba is feeling embarrassed, that is her personal choice.
“I don’t feel that anyone should be embarrassed [at] anything I tweeted on my social media account. Azma Bokhari is the [Punjab] government’s official spokesperson, so obviously she clarified the government’s policy, which is good. But, I think her remarks on me were unnecessary and uncalled for,” she said.
“So I would again, respectfully, disagree with her,” she said.
Referring to recent incidents involving minors and the youth in the country, she said that their parents should be called on shows and asked how those who subjected their offspring to “savagery” should be treated.
“I believe I have stated public sentiment and what is the people’s voice. Those coming forward to defend the culprits do not meet the families whose children’s bodies are recovered in a bad state. I meet such parents,” he said.
“So any person who has even a bit of humanity in their heart, what will they have felt when they heard about Waseem from Multan?” she asked.
The CCD, established last year, has been criticised by human rights advocates and civil society members for a high number of casualties.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) alleged earlier this year that the CCD has adopted a “deliberate policy of staged police encounters leading to extrajudicial killings”.
In response, the department termed the claims as unfounded and contrary to the department’s operational framework.