Hina Butt defends post on alleged encounter

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Hina Parvez Butt on Thursday defended her now-deleted social media post about the killing of a suspect in an alleged police encounter, saying her remarks reflected the sentiments of an ordinary citizen, while taking exception to criticism by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari.

Butt had drawn widespread criticism after posting on X that "justice is served immediately" under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's government, following the killing of a man accused of running over a teenage boy who worked for him in Multan.

In a video statement on Thursday, the lawmaker said her post was a personal opinion, rejected claims that she had blamed the chief minister, the provincial government or any institution, and said criticism of her remarks was unwarranted.

On Wednesday, the suspect, accused of running over Waseem, a teenage worker, with his car in a private housing society in Multan, was killed in an alleged encounter by Punjab's Crime Control Department (CCD) in Bahawalpur.

The teenager's killing had sparked public outrage, with a police officer describing the treatment meted out to him as "subjected to barbarity".

Following the suspect's death, Butt shared screenshots of a television report about the alleged encounter on X, writing: "This is [Punjab Chief Minister] Maryam Nawaz sahiba's government; justice is served immediately."