On Supreme Court orders, the Federal Government on Monday suspended Inspector-General of Police Merwat Shah, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali and Senior Superintendent of Police Islamabad Dr Naeem on charges of use of force and thrashing of lawyers and media persons on Saturday.
The court also issued contempt notices to IGP Merwat, District Magistrate Mohammad Ali and duty magistrate Irfan Ahmad for stoning and tear-gassing of Supreme Court building on that day. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, heard the suo motu notice of the incident of use of force and thrashing of lawyers and media persons by police/law enforcing agencies in front of the Supreme Court and Election Commission of Pakistan.
Interior Secretary Kamal Shah, Chief Commissioner Hamid Khan, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali, Duty Magistrate Irfan Ahmad and Senior Superintendent of Police Naeem were present in the courtroom. The court examined the security plan of the administration to control law and order situation on September 29, 2007 and some FIRs registered in various police stations against lawyers and journalists.
The court also previewed footages/CDs of the coverage done by private channels of the incident and happenings of Saturday and lists furnished by the heads of Federal Government Services Hospital Islamabad and Executive Director PIMS about the patients including lawyers, media persons, members of the civil society as well as the members of police/law enforcing agencies to whom treatment had been provided in the hospitals.
Before adjourning the case for October 23, the court directed media persons/lawyers and members of the civil society to file their affidavits with the Registrar of the court. The court also directed the hospitals to provide medical treatment to the injured persons on government expense. The court directed SSP Islamabad to provide names and photographs of those persons who in plain clothes stoned and lathi-charged and stoned the lawyers and media men.
The CJP warned that no one without proper uniform can act and perform duties of a policeman. The court directed Judge of the Anti-terrorist court to decide bail applications of advocate Hassan Raza Pasha and other five advocates who were booked under Anti-terrorist Act in connection with attack on MQM leader Farooq Sattar.
Later, it was learnt that Hassan Raza Pasha, who was seriously injured in the clashes, and other five lawyers had been released on bail. Earlier Irfan Malik of Aaj TV, Ibrahim Qamar of KTN, Afzal Javed of On Line, Akhtar Sidiqui of INP, and Asma Sherazi also appeared before the court and submitted their account of police highhandedness.
During the hearing, a member of the Bench, Justice Raja Fayyaz, observed that it looked as if Islamabad Police was out to conquer the Islamabad roads and it was fighting against a foreign army.
Comments
Comments are closed.