Lynched brothers’ family on hunger strike

Family of lynch victims take out protest rally, set up a hunger strike camp to protest against inaction in case.

SIALKOT:

The family of Hafiz Mughees and Muneeb Butt on Thursday went on a hunger strike against the Sialkot police accusing them of protecting senior officers.

The family complained that the police were changing the “direction of the investigation”. They said that they would continue their hunger strike until the police assure them that “the senior officers who were responsible for their children’s death would be penalised”.

The family – including Butt brothers’ grand parents, Khawaja Muhammad Anwar and Anees Begum; parents, Khawaja Muhammad Sajjad and Fauzia Sajjad; their sister; and their uncle, Muhammad Zarar Butt – rallied from their house in Hajipura to the Sialkot Kutchery, passing through all main roads of the city.

They staged a sit-in outside the office of the Sialkot district police officer (DPO).

A huge contingent of police was present outside the DPO office to deal with any untoward incident.

Zarar Butt told the media that the family was not satisfied with the manner in which the police was conducting the investigation.

He said that the family had no confidence in the inquiry report submitted to the Supreme Court by the joint investigation team, headed by Mushtaq Sukhera, a deputy inspector general (DIG).

He added that the inquiry report compiled by the joint investigation team conflicted with the judicial inquiry report prepared by Justice (retired) Kazim Malik. Justice (retd) Malik was directed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary, to conduct an inquiry into the case.

Malik’s report had been kinder to the brothers than the report prepared by the joint investigation team. According to the former, “[The brothers] might have committed some wrongs during their lifetime...

But in the given circumstances it can be safely said that they were not robbers, dacoits, hardened criminals.” The judicial inquiry had also said that Shahjehan Bukhari, the first investigation officer, and Dr Mohammad Farooq, the post-mortem examiner, were liable to face legal consequences for having destroyed and concealing medical evidence.

The joint investigation team, on the other hand, concluded that Mughees had shot two people, Bilal and Zeeshan and that that had led to the lynching.

Zarar Butt alleged that the Sialkot police had influenced the course of the investigation in a bid to protect the accused police officers.

Mughees and Muneeb’s parents also expressed their dissatisfaction with the pace of the investigation.

They said that almost two months had passed since the incident and but the Sialkot police had yet to produce the challan of the case before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). “The police are deliberately delaying the investigation. We have any expectations from them. We have left our case in Allah’s court,” they said.

Muhammad and Fauzia Sajjad said that their final hopes “rested with CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary”. They urged the CJP to ensure that the police officers responsible for the murder of their sons do not go unpunished. They added that the he should direct the Sialkot police to speed up the inquiry so that the culprits could be punished.

The rally was also attended by Jamaat-e-Islami and Shabab-i-Milli activists. The protesters held placards and banners asking the Supreme Court of Pakistan to ensure justice. The family also chanted slogans against the Sialkot police.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2010.