Police in Faisalabad arrested a man within an hour of an assault on a salesgirl at a shopping plaza in the city, after CCTV footage of the attack circulated widely and drew the attention of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The assault took place on 8 November at Kohinoor Plaza, where the victim, named in reports as Mubra, worked at a women's clothing store. The suspect, identified as Hamid, was arrested by police from Madina Town Police Station, and a first information report (FIR) was registered on the woman's complaint.

What happened at Kohinoor Plaza

Reports differ on what started the confrontation. One account says the man, described as the shop owner, had visited the premises to collect rent and the situation escalated from there. Another account says he became angry after being told that only women were allowed inside the shop.

What the accounts agree on is that the man then physically assaulted the salesgirl. CCTV footage of the incident reportedly showed him pulling her from behind the counter and throwing her to the ground.

City Police Officer Faisalabad Tanveer Hussain ordered immediate action after the incident was reported. Sub-Inspector Zubair of Madina Town Police Station arrested the suspect within an hour, according to police. The FIR includes sections 354 and 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deal with assault against a woman and acts intended to insult her modesty.

The video and the chief minister's response

On 9 November, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz shared a video on social media showing the victim slapping the handcuffed suspect inside a police station, with the footage drawing wide attention.

Speaking at an event in Jhelum on 10 November, the chief minister said she had been horrified by the assault. She said she had the man brought before the girl at the police station and told her to slap him two or three times, adding that no influential person could abuse the poor under her government.

It was not the first time she had spoken in such terms. Addressing a ceremony in Mandi Bahauddin on 27 October, she had advocated a tit-for-tat response to assaults in the province, saying she had advised victims to respond to attacks in kind.

What happens next

Police say legal proceedings against the suspect are under way. The allegations against him have yet to be tested in court, and no outcome from the case had been reported by the time of publication.

The incident has renewed discussion about the safety of women working in shops and other public-facing jobs in Punjab, and about how such cases should be handled once a suspect is in custody. Further details are available from Bloom Pakistan and Pakistan Point.