Wednesday, September 10, 2008
By Sajid Bashir
LAHORE
DESPITE Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s directions, the family of a trainee police constable, killed in a ‘police encounter’ in May 2007, is still awaiting justice.
Deceased Hassan Raza’s family, appearing in the CM’s open court, alleged that the two constables of the Mohafiz Force of Ghailb Market police, namely Ziaullah and Kashif, had killed their son in a fake encounter. Besides no case was registered against the accused and they were threatening the family for withdrawal of the judicial inquiry, they stated, adding that the accused had killed their son over a business deal. They said a judicial inquiry into the incident was going on for last one year but of no avail.
Hassan’s family had requested the CM for registration of a case against the accused under Section 302 on which the CM issued immediate orders. But SP Coordination Imran Arshad, present on the occasion, told the CM that no case could be registered against the accused under the said section in case of an ongoing judicial inquiry into the matter. However, the legal experts said that a case under any section could be registered at any time even during the judicial inquiry, the family maintained.
Later, a case under Section 506 was registered with the Gulberg Police Station against the accused while the CM assured the family that they would get justice within five to 10 days, directing PSO Nasim Sadiq to supervise the matter. But despite the passage of 36 days, no action was taken against the accused.
It is pertinent to mention that more than 100,000 judicial inquiries against police officials were initiated in the past but even a single judicial inquiry did not prove any police official guilty.
Talking to The News, Qasim Abbas, the victim’s uncle, said his nephew was running a books business in Urdu Bazaar and he had made a deal of worth Rs 1 million with Prof Haq Nawaz, the father of accused Kashif. He said, according to the business deal, Hassan gave Rs 500,000 to Haq Nawaz for the publishing books who refused to give him books and he demanded his money back.
“Prof Haq Nawaz called Hassan and informed him that his son Kashif would give him the money at Gulberg,” he said, adding that he and Hassan’s father also accompanied the victim when he was going to Gulberg to meet Kashif but both brothers stopped at Liberty to eat and Hassan went alone to meet Kashif, who along with Ziaullah, opened indiscriminate fire on him and presented the whole incident as an encounter.
The victim’s uncle said the police, in its fist statement, claimed that the encounter was genuine and Hassan was killed by the Mohafiz Force as he had offered resistance while snatching a bike.
But after half an hour, the police reverted its statement saying that Hassan and Maqsood were making an escape after snatching a car and the Mohafiz Force chased and killed them.
Talking to The News, Yaseen Mohal, the judicial magistrate concerned, said that the judicial inquiry into the encounter would be completed soon. Answering a question regarding the delay in inquiry, he said at first the judicial inquiry was transferred and later the doctor did not appear before the court to record his statement. Magistrate Yaseen Mohal said the court issued summons for the doctor again and again but could not appear before the court as he was out of the country. Now the court would take up the case on Thursday (tomorrow), he said.
Gulberg Division ASP Nasir Ali Rizvi could not be reached on his cell number 0322-4440512 despite repeated calls made by this correspondent. A text message was also sent to his cell number but he did not respond, which suggested that he did not want to give his version on the issue.
DESPITE Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s directions, the family of a trainee police constable, killed in a ‘police encounter’ in May 2007, is still awaiting justice.
Deceased Hassan Raza’s family, appearing in the CM’s open court, alleged that the two constables of the Mohafiz Force of Ghailb Market police, namely Ziaullah and Kashif, had killed their son in a fake encounter. Besides no case was registered against the accused and they were threatening the family for withdrawal of the judicial inquiry, they stated, adding that the accused had killed their son over a business deal. They said a judicial inquiry into the incident was going on for last one year but of no avail.
Hassan’s family had requested the CM for registration of a case against the accused under Section 302 on which the CM issued immediate orders. But SP Coordination Imran Arshad, present on the occasion, told the CM that no case could be registered against the accused under the said section in case of an ongoing judicial inquiry into the matter. However, the legal experts said that a case under any section could be registered at any time even during the judicial inquiry, the family maintained.
Later, a case under Section 506 was registered with the Gulberg Police Station against the accused while the CM assured the family that they would get justice within five to 10 days, directing PSO Nasim Sadiq to supervise the matter. But despite the passage of 36 days, no action was taken against the accused.
It is pertinent to mention that more than 100,000 judicial inquiries against police officials were initiated in the past but even a single judicial inquiry did not prove any police official guilty.
Talking to The News, Qasim Abbas, the victim’s uncle, said his nephew was running a books business in Urdu Bazaar and he had made a deal of worth Rs 1 million with Prof Haq Nawaz, the father of accused Kashif. He said, according to the business deal, Hassan gave Rs 500,000 to Haq Nawaz for the publishing books who refused to give him books and he demanded his money back.
“Prof Haq Nawaz called Hassan and informed him that his son Kashif would give him the money at Gulberg,” he said, adding that he and Hassan’s father also accompanied the victim when he was going to Gulberg to meet Kashif but both brothers stopped at Liberty to eat and Hassan went alone to meet Kashif, who along with Ziaullah, opened indiscriminate fire on him and presented the whole incident as an encounter.
The victim’s uncle said the police, in its fist statement, claimed that the encounter was genuine and Hassan was killed by the Mohafiz Force as he had offered resistance while snatching a bike.
But after half an hour, the police reverted its statement saying that Hassan and Maqsood were making an escape after snatching a car and the Mohafiz Force chased and killed them.
Talking to The News, Yaseen Mohal, the judicial magistrate concerned, said that the judicial inquiry into the encounter would be completed soon. Answering a question regarding the delay in inquiry, he said at first the judicial inquiry was transferred and later the doctor did not appear before the court to record his statement. Magistrate Yaseen Mohal said the court issued summons for the doctor again and again but could not appear before the court as he was out of the country. Now the court would take up the case on Thursday (tomorrow), he said.
Gulberg Division ASP Nasir Ali Rizvi could not be reached on his cell number 0322-4440512 despite repeated calls made by this correspondent. A text message was also sent to his cell number but he did not respond, which suggested that he did not want to give his version on the issue.
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