Peshawar council wants policemen’s trial

Naib nazim says cops did nothing when Mashal was being lynched in front of their eyes

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar district council has demanded of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government and inspector general of police to take to task those police officials who stood there and did nothing when Mashal Khan was being lynched.

The district council session was convened on Monday to discuss the law and order situation in the city. Senior police officers, including Senior Superintendent of Police Operations Sajad Khan, SP, DSPs of various divisions, and SHOs attended the meeting.



Naib nazim Syed Qasim Ali Shah convened the session, while district nazim Muhammad Asim was present, along with other members of the council.

Addressing the council, opposition leader Syed Zahir Ali Shah condemned the brutal incident in Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU), Mardan where a 23-year-old journalism student Mashal was lynched to death and his body desecrated.

Shah said it is shameful that in several video clips policemen are just standing and doing nothing while a student is being lynched in front of their eyes.

“Police officials present at the AWKU premises should be included in the murder investigation,” Shah demanded. “How come the K-P police have changed when such incidents are happening?”

The nazim, while condemning the brutal killing, said no one should be allowed to take law into their own hands … They should follow proper legal procedures.



“So far, there is no proof of blasphemy in the investigation reports,” Asim said. “The case should be properly investigated.”

The SSP operations briefed the council on police progress in reducing the crime rate in the province.

He said the crime rate, kidnapping for ransom, abduction, terrorism, and snatching cases have been reduced in the first three months of 2017 as compared to the statistics of last year.

He said the community policing was very much effective in controlling law and order situation in the province, for which, local representatives are playing a pivotal role.



Speaking on the reservations of a local council member on harsh attitude of constables in police stations, the SSP said that the IG has already urged training of constables so that they could deal smoothly with those who approach police stations for filing complaints and reports.