Qurtaba chowk case: Where are Faizan’s, Faheem’s familes?

Police chief, SHO issued notices to file replies by March 24.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has summoned the capital city police officer, Aslam Tareen, for Tuesday (today) in a petition seeking recovery of the families of the Qurtaba Chowk deceased Faheem Shamshad and Faizan Haider.

Justice Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain issued the order while hearing a petition filedby Advocate Malik Munsif Awan, formerly one of the counsel for the families.

Awan filed a habeas corpus petition before the LHC seeking recovery of the families saying that the families of both the deceased had been missing since March 15. He said he apprehended that they had been kidnapped and were being kept in illegal detention.

In his petition, Awan named the interior minister, the home secretary and the inspector general of Punjab Police as respondents. He said according to the media reports, the families had had received Rs200 million as blood-money, which, he added, had put the lives of the family members in danger.

He said neither the provincial nor the federal government had acknowledged responsibility about the families’ whereabouts. He asked the court to summon the respondents and direct them to produce the ‘abducted’ families before the court.

Terror trial

Later, another petition was filed against the state for not charging Davis under the Anti Terrorism Act and for spying against the state. The petitioner, Advocate Rana Ilmuddin Ghazi, said that Davis’ release had left people in shock.

He said that Davis was known to have been involved in anti- state activities. He held the inspector general of police, the officials of the Prosecution Department additional district and sessions judge Yousaf Aujla and the Punjab law minister responsible for failing to fulfill their duty and facilitating Davis’ release.

He said that the Law Ministry had paid the diyat on behalf of the US citizen. He said the LHC had put Davis’ name on the Exit Control List, but it was later removed without LHC’s permission.

He asked the court to hold the respondent responsible for failing to carry out a transparent and fair trial. He also asked the court to summon record of Davis’ judicial and police file and fix culpability of all government functionaries who had not fulfilled their responsibilities.

CCPO, SHO issued notice

An additional district and sessions judge on Monday issued a notice to Lahore chief city police officer (CCPO) and SHO to file their reply in a petition seeking registration of FIR against jail authorities for allegedly keeping Faizan andFaheem’s counsel in illegal detention.

Judge Rao Abdul Jabbar issued the notice during hearing of a petition filed by Advocate Asad Manzoor Butt. Advocate Butt, one of the counsel for Faizan and Faheem’s families, told thecourt that the ASP and the SP of the Kot Lakhpat Jail had illegally detained him and his colleague Advocate Nauman Attique in jail for four hours while they were on their way to the court room for the hearing of the murder case against US citizen Raymond Davis.

He contended that they were taken to a room adjacent to the SP’s office instead of the court room. He told the court that the jail authorities had abducted them and kept them away from pleading the case against the accused.

He said he had approached the Kot Lakhpat SHO to register a complaint against the jail authorities concerned for keeping him and his colleague in illegal detention.

The SHO, he said, refused to register the complaint and directed him to approach the CCPO instead.

He said though the CCPO had received his application, but there had been no progress so far.

The court directed the CCPO and the Kot Lakhpat SHO to file their replies by March 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2011.