The Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to ensure the implementation of relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs) guaranteeing women investigation officers in cases pertaining to women.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood issued the directives while wrapping up a petition of a woman abducted and raped by her ex-husband.
The woman’s counsel informed the court that the former husband abducted and raped his client days after giving her a divorce. The woman then filed a first information report (FIR) at a local police station in Gujranwala where a male IO was assigned to debrief her and investigate the matter.
The bench was irked at the violations of police SOPs to assign a woman IO in cases of nature and directed action against the station house officer (SHO) of the concerned police station.
The apex court also ordered the police to ensure a copy of the SOP in Urdu and English was available at every police station.
Justice Isa also took exception to the superintend referring to the inspector general of police with a British-era title. He remarked that the police continued pre-independence culture despite the country acquiring freedom from British Raj in 1947.
The police should change its mindset and move forward from slavery culture, he observed.
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