ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has been approached against custodial torture of minor students by federal capital police.
Imaan Mazari and Farhatullah Babar on Monday filed a petition through Advocate Usama Khawar Ghumman. The petitioners have raised the issue of a horrendous incident of police brutality and custodial torture in a police station in Islamabad.
It was submitted that Irshad Cheema, SHO G-9 Police Station, Islamabad, had confined a minor child in his private office and was torturing him. The minor detenu was screaming in pain, and his screams could be heard outside the police station. Mazari was present at the scene and decided to inquire into the matter, wherein, she saw the event with her own eyes, and a civilian bribed the police officer in front of her eyes.
Mazari, who was witness to the brutal torture, took it upon herself to seek redressal against the officer in charge at the police station committing the heinous, illegal acts. She was left unheard because of the lack of statutory bodies required to handle citizen complaints against police officials. Mazari approached all police higher-ups, including the IG Islamabad, SSP Operations (Islamabad) and others, and informed them of the event and requested them to prosecute the police official.
However, the exercise was of no avail and Mazari was left with no choice but to approach the Courts for redressing her grievances. In this matter, she approached the families of the kids who were being tortured, and Farhatullah Babar, who is Pakistan’s most vocal activist against torture. The families and Babar joined Mazari in the cause and provided her with the necessary help.
Usama Khawar said that the federal government was under a statutory obligation to establish the Federal Police Complaints Authority, and the Islamabad District Public Safety Commission – a duty they have not fulfilled in the past 20 years.
“It is appalling how the executive is functioning in such chaos, with no adherence to, or respect for, the law and the Constitution. The citizens must be called to action, and the governments must be accountable for their inactions,” said Khawar.
The case has gained considerable social media attention, and civil society has gathered in pursuit of seeking redressal of such acts. More than 70 lawyers have written an open letter to the prime minister, the Chief Commissioner, and the IG seeking an enquiry into the matter.
After the issue was brought to higher authorities’ notice, the police implicated the minors maliciously in unrelated FIRs of phone snatching. The Judicial Magistrate has remanded the minors in judicial custody for 14 days without giving attention to the malicious prosecution of the minors by the police. Due to fear of reprisal from the police, the torture victims never pursue cases of torture against the police.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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