Court blasts Pindi police chief over family’s abduction

Orders police to recover and produce abductees by next Friday

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday severely reprimanded Rawalpindi Range police chief Syed Khurram Ali while hearing a petition regarding the abducting of a family including children from the area of Sadiqabad police station.

Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan heard the petition filed by lawyer Asad Abbasi stating that a man along with his wife, two children and his brother were abducted a week ago from their residence. Instead of helping the victims, the police were telling them to pay the ransom, it contended.

Advocate Abbasi, who is also a member of the Punjab Bar Council, stated that his client Haroon Ishtiaq lived with his family in Muslim Town. On July 29, at around 3:30am, 14-15 armed men forcibly entered their residence and abducted them at gunpoint. Those abducted include Haroon, his wife and two children. His brother was also among those abducted as was his sister-in-law who was staying at their residence, said the plea.

The plea continued that police officials, including the station house officer (SHO) of Sadiqabad police station, were on seemingly ‘good terms with the accused’ and were not taking any action against them. Instead, they told the family to fulfil the accused’s demands instead of ensuring their recovery, it added.

The judge remarked that entire families were abducted while asking the police what it was doing. He also ordered the police to recover the family and produce them in court next Friday.

He also summoned Syed Khurram Ali, the regional police officer (RPO). The jurist severely reprimanded the RPO over his ignorance about the case when the court quizzed him.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2023.