PHOTO: AFP
Those condemning the abduction include acting and former police officials.
Reportedly, former SI Aamir Shahzad had been quite vocal and critical against the abuse of authority by senior police officers, the extraordinary amount of impunity enjoyed by Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) officers and flawed police hierarchy skewed against lower cadre police officials.
Those raising voice against his kidnapping called the move unjustified and said he was abducted due to his social media criticism over the flaws of the police department.
The family of Aamir said the unidentified men in uniforms did not introduce themselves nor informed them where they were taking him.
His family contacted various police forums to get information about the ex-policeman’s whereabouts to no avail for up to five to six days.
Former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Azeez Khan protested that Aamir’s ‘actual crime’ was that of raising voice on behalf of the oppressed section of the police department, those holding the rank of constable to inspector, and the injustices meted out to them.
He continued that the most recent example of injustice was the dismissal of SI Zainul Abideen from police service as he was fighting and losing the battle to cancer.
“It was Aamir who raised the issue on social media and then lodged a complaint against the concerned authorities on the Prime Minister’s Citizen Portal,” he revealed.
“Then again, he had critiqued the City Police Officer (CPO) Faisalabad Sohail Chaudhry’s social media post in which he had shared the photo of an arrested assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and had captioned it ‘An ASI arrested for poor investigation and misuse of authority’.”
Aamir had objected that the post was an insult to the family of the ASI, adding, that even faces of criminals are kept hidden.
He had claimed that allegations were being hurled by those who pay Rs300 for case investigations.
“It seems the mister [CPO Sohail Chauhdry] was taking revenge of… pictures of him licking a woman’s feet a few days back [going public],” Aamir had written.
After the release of the arrested former policeman, the post has been removed from his Facebook account.
It has come to light that a case of fraud has been registered against him in the Factory Area Police Station Faisalabad.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that Aamir took Rs100,000 for mediating a business deal which later went wrong.
The complainants said Aamir had promised he would get the deal fixed through ‘senior police officials’ in May.
Interestingly, the case registered on June 8 was presented before the court on June 13.
Critics say the victimization of whistleblowers is worrisome.
Earlier, the practice of abduction of ‘protestors’ by unidentified men in uniform had been specific to few corridors of the state and now it has expanded to the police department too.
The practice is a contravention of the basic rights enshrined by the constitution which cannot be justified by anyone in the state apparatus and its accustomation by the police, that too, on personal grounds needs to be taken very seriously.
If left unchecked, the black sheep of the department would use lockups as secret dungeons and policemen as death squads for punishing their opponents and critics.
An independent inquiry should be immediately conducted to dismiss this unconstitutional practice and those found guilty of misuse of power should be held accountable.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2020.
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