The shocking public allegations made by prominent Pakistani actress Momina Iqbal regarding systemic harassment by a sitting member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have thrown a harsh spotlight on the deep-seated culture of elite impunity in Punjab. Iqbal, a highly respected and professional artist known for maintaining a scandal-free career, felt compelled to use her public platform to expose an ongoing campaign of digital and physical stalking that has upended her life. Investigative journalists quickly identified the accused legislator as Saqib Chadhar, a powerful political figure closely aligned with the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz. Despite formal complaints submitted to multiple state forums, including the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing, no regulatory or legal action has been taken against the lawmaker. Instead, the state apparatus has actively protected the perpetrator, providing him with extensive official security protocols and administrative cover.
This specific instance of harassment cannot be understood in isolation; it is a direct consequence of a political system that rewards criminal enterprise and structural corruption with state power. A deep dive into the background of Saqib Chadhar reveals a history of profound criminal transgressions that intersect with international networks. Long before entering the provincial assembly through the highly manipulated "Form 47" electoral process, Chadhar was a central figure in a notorious international illegal organ trafficking ring. Alongside his cousin, a resident of Australia known as "Doctor Fawad," Chadhar operated a highly lucrative racket that targeted the most vulnerable, impoverished segments of Central and South Punjab. The network lured or coerced desperate, poverty-stricken individuals into selling their kidneys for minor sums, ranging from two to five hundred thousand rupees. These harvested organs were then illegally transplanted into wealthy foreign nationals from Australia, Jordan, and Oman in makeshift, unsterilized local clinics, netting the criminal syndicate millions of dollars in illicit profits.
Despite being arrested by the FIA years ago in a heavily documented raid ,where Chadhar explicitly confessed on camera to his long-term involvement in 15 to 18 illegal kidney transplants since 2013, the legal system failed to hold him accountable. Through political patronage, immense financial leverage, and the strategic exploitation of judicial loopholes, he not only evaded long-term imprisonment but successfully transitioned into mainstream politics. By falsely using the narrative of the opposition during the election campaigns to garner popular votes, and subsequently defecting to the ruling PML-N immediately upon securing his seat via state-sponsored engineering, Chadhar secured the ultimate shield against criminal prosecution: legislative immunity and executive protection.
The fact that an individual with a documented background in international human organ trafficking can occupy a legislative seat and receive official state protocol while continuing to target and harass female public figures reveals a total collapse of moral and legal authority within the provincial administration. The Punjab government, which frequently publicizes its commitment to women's rights and safety, finds itself in a deeply compromised position. The Chief Minister’s office is directly implicated by its silence and its active provision of state security to a known harasser and human organ smuggler. This dangerous convergence of political power, illicit wealth, and gender-based harassment demonstrates that in the current political ecosystem, state-sponsored protection is explicitly reserved for criminal elements who assist the ruling elite in maintaining their fragile grip on power, leaving ordinary citizens and public figures entirely defenseless against predatory elite behavior.
