The female TikToker involved in the 2021 Minar-i-Pakistan assault case has forgiven all suspects, as revealed on Monday.
In August 2021, Lahore police charged hundreds of unidentified individuals for assaulting and robbing the TikToker and her companions at Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day.
This case gained significant attention amidst a broader focus on violence against women in Pakistan, particularly following the murders of Noor Mukadam and Quratul Ain in July 2021. The assault, widely shared on social media, sparked considerable outcry from celebrities and politicians.
Additional session judge Gul Abbas issued a ruling today based on a hearing held on June 25.
According to court documents, the victim presented her affidavit on June 3, leading the judge to request further arguments on August 26.
In her affidavit, the victim expressed her decision not to continue with the case, stating she had forgiven the suspects “for the sake of Allah and his Holy Prophet (PBUH)” and had “no objection to the suspects being acquitted” confirming she made this statement willingly and without coercion.
Case History
Lorry Adda police filed an initial report against 400 unidentified individuals for assaulting and disrobing the TikToker on August 14, 2021. After this, police detained an associate of the victim when she accused him of blackmail.
This associate later claimed in media statements that the TikToker had been attempting to extort him. He alleged that she implicated him in the FIR after he refused to participate in her scheme to extort money from those arrested.
The FIR included charges under sections 354-A (assault or criminal force against a woman and stripping her of clothes), 382 (theft with preparation for causing death, hurt, or restraint), 147 (rioting), and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Six suspects remained in police custody, and an additional eight were arrested in October 2021, all placed on physical remand.
In January 2022, a Lahore sessions court granted post-arrest bail to a suspect accused of a central role in the blackmail and assault. The Lahore High Court (LHC) extended post-arrest bail to four more suspects, including the principal suspect, the following month.
By November 2022, a sessions court had indicted 16 suspects, including the main one. All pleaded not guilty and opted to go to trial.
