Nawaz suspends SSP Junejo for showing leniancy towards religious activists

SSP Junejo, acting Shahzad TOwn SHO accused of 'not inserting correct sections of the law against the suspects.’

ISLAMABAD: Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Asmatullah Junejo and the acting SHO of Shahzad Town police station were suspended on Thursday by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly taking a ‘lenient view’ of registering cases against a former president of a religious party and his guards who were accused of violating section 144.

Junejo, and acting SHO Anis Akber, along with an assistant sub-inspector were previously suspended for ‘not inserting correct sections of the law against the suspects’ in the five cases registered against them.

On December 31, the former president of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Rawalpindi chapter, Mufti Tanvir Alam Farooqui, along with his gunmen and companions, were taken into custody after a joint patrolling team of police and Rangers intercepted a double-cabin pickup at a picket near Tramri Chowk.

Police said that Farooqui and his companions were arrested after illegal weapons, including 12-bore pump action shotgun, two 44-bore rifles, two 9mm pistols and bullets, were recovered from their possession. They were subsequently taken to Shahzad Town police station and booked.

The police booked them under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which had been imposed in the federal capital which banned exhibition of any kind of weapons.

The officials, however, did not book the suspects on charges of violating Section 144, “Mufti Tanvir Alam and other suspects were not treated as per law,” said a police official. “Instead of registering a combined case against them, they were booked in different cases under sections of arms ordinance.”

The official added that only one suspect, Mufti Tanvir, was booked under section 188 of the Criminal Procedure Code whereas all suspects should have been booked under the same section for openly carrying weapons in the capital.

In their defence, the police officials said that they had not inserted sections dealing with the display of arms because the suspects did not display any arms when they were stopped, sources said.

ASWJ spokesperson Hafiz Oneed Farooqi said that Mufti Tanvir was a former president of the Rawalpindi chapter of their religious group and he along with all others were released from the police station following the arrest.

Farooqi claimed that Mufti Tanvir has suffered attacks in the past and has survived three direct assassination attempts. He added that they had hired private guards since the police had failed to provide him security.

The officials at the Shahzad Town police station, however, said that the suspects were released after they were granted bail from the court concerned.

According to the FIRs, the double-cabin pickup, No.J-9965, was intercepted and six people were held after they couldn’t produce licenses for their weapons.

At the time of arrest, Mufti Tanvir disclosed that the men with weapons were his guards, and the subsequent FIR stated that this act of Mufti Tanvir was a violation of Section 144.

AIG Operations, Sultan Azam Temuri, who is conducting the inquiry of the matter, was not available for comments.

Junejo also could not be reached for comments.