NCHR asked for periodic reports and updates from the District Police Officer in order to monitor the case closely. NCHR also wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Punjab to demand a speedy, impartial, and in-depth inquiry and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. As a result, all 87 persons accused in the case were convicted within a record period of three months. Throughout the incident, NCHR was in touch with the Sri Lankan Commission for Human Rights and the wife of Priyantha. NCHR filed to become party to Usman Mirza case In a video that went viral on the internet, Usman Mirza was seen violently beating and harassing a young couple. Although Islamabad police took Mirza into custody and registered a first information report (FIR), the couple retracted their statements during the course of the case. NCHR took notice of this resilement of the victims’ case and filed to become part of the proceedings. The Chairperson, Member Minorities, and NCHR’s legal team attended the hearings and gave their recommendations and submissions to the court. The Commission also held meetings with prosecution and police to identify the problems and hurdles that they face in doing their jobs. Recommendations included increasing the number of prosecutors (at present there are seven prosecutors to handle cases in 40 courts of ICT) and the proper use of the Witness Protection Law, especially since in a majority of cases the victims retract their statements due to one reason or another. Mirza and four of his accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment. Suo moto notice on air pollution in Lahore Lahore has now been consistently ranked as one of the most polluted cities globally. Air pollution in Lahore severely affects the quality of life and health of over 12 million citizens and reduces their life expectancy by approximately 2.7 years. If concentration level remains unchecked, the life expectancy lost could jump to 5.3 years in Lahore relative to what it would be if WHO guidelines were met. It reflects ineffective and inadequate measures on part of the concerned authorities, which are in contravention of the basic right to life guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan as well as International Covenants including United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ratified by the Government of Pakistan. NCHR reached the conclusion that the measures taken by the Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab thus far were not adequate. Consequently, the Secretary EPD, Punjab was been called to appear personally for a hearing along with a representative of the Chief Secretary Office and Commissioner Lahore at NCHR office, Lahore, Punjab. (this is the situation as it stands until the printing of this report) A case of forced conversion A young Christian woman was allegedly abducted and made to marry a Muslim man after he forced her to sign and place her thumbprint on a marriage contract. Seeking to annul the marriage, the victim filed a petition in the Bahawalpur family courts. The victim’s family had to seek refuge in Bahawalpur amid threats to their lives. NCHR issued a notice to DPO Bahawalpur to send a comprehensive report within 7 days. The report was submitted by the concerned Police department according to which relief was granted to the petitioner. The girl was returned back to 6