Prosecutor fails to submit charge sheet ‘under political influence’

Complainant says report likely to prove PPP MPA, Umerkot SSP guilty of attack on PTI MPA

HYDERABAD: Hearing the case pertaining to an alleged assault on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Haleem Adil Sheikh, a court in Umerkot district ordered on Thursday the district public prosecutor (DPP) to submit the final report, based on another inquiry report by Karachi's East district police.  The DPP has been given three days for complying with the order.

Meanwhile, Inspectors Saleemullall Marwat and Aijaz Khan of the East district police submitted the inquiry report to the court on Thursday, as it lacked DPP's opinion, which was to be included in the report as a legal requirement. The police officials reportedly spent three days in Umerkot visiting the DPP's office who allegedly kept procrastinating in performing his obligation.

This has been elaborated in the court order, which reads, "The investigation officer (IO)...contended that he has completed the investigation and [that the] charge sheet was required to be submitted to this court by the public prosecutor who was not willing to forward the same under political influence."

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It points out that Section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure makes the submission of the final report by the office of the public prosecutor mandatory.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Nawab Taimur Talpur and Umerkot SSP Aijaz Ahmed Shaikh are among the accused nominated in the FIR of the assault on the PTI MPA. The FIR has been registered on behalf of Haji Lal Muhammad at Kunri police station.

Muhammad has claimed that the final report is likely to prove Talpur and the SSP guilty of the offence, owing to which the DPP is not forwarding it to the court.

Earlier, Sheikh had expressed dissatisfaction over the inquiry initially conducted by Umerkot police and later by a committee headed by Hyderabad SSP Adeel Hussain Chandio. Following this, the investigation was transferred to the East district police.

Sheikh and others accompanying him to Kunri to attend the funeral prayers of the victims of Tezgam Express inferno in November, 2019, were allegedly attacked by people belonging to PPP.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2020.