IGP grilled over failure to locate anchor-person

Police chief claims journalist was hiding ‘somewhere’

LAHORE:

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar, failed to satisfy Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti of the Lahore High Court in the case of missing of anchor-person Imran Riaz Khan.

On several occasions, he appeared clueless about how to respond to a barrage of queries.

When repeatedly questioned in the courtroom about why the system has failed to trace the anchor-person, the IG Punjab dismissed the notion that the anchor-person had been kidnapped, suggesting instead that he had hidden himself somewhere. This is why the police are facing difficulties in locating him.

IGP Dr Usman updated the court on the actions taken by the police and their plans for the future. He stated that they had initiated the process of geo-fencing, collected data from Jazz and Telenor, obtained CCTV footage, contacted NADRA for the identification process, and involved agencies such as FIA, IB, ISI, and others. He assured the court that they would make every effort to locate the anchor-person but requested some additional time. Upon hearing this, CJ Bhatti remarked, "So, you mean you people are helpless?"

The situation became emotional when Imran Riaz Khan's father, the anchor-person, approached the podium and addressed the IG Punjab, saying, "Please kill my son so that we can stop worrying about him. What kind of game are the police and law enforcement institutions playing? Will you react in the same manner if your son gets kidnapped tomorrow?"

Imran Riaz Khan's counsel, advocate Azhar Siddique, raised a point about the IGP's lengthy speech regarding their performance, stating that while they claimed to have collected a lot of CCTV footage and examined data, he only wanted to know whether the IG Punjab had identified the individuals who took Imran Riaz with them and if they had traced the vehicle used to transport him. He further questioned whether the IG had located the vehicle with the Gujranwala number plate that arrived at Abbas Line to pick up Imran Riaz Khan from jail.

When the IGP requested advocate Azhar Siddique to share these details with him, the advocate argued that they should not have any expectations from the police if they had to provide everything themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2023.