SSP booked for abduction

Investigation officer found Bugti, other cops guilty in two-year-old case

LAHORE:

An FIR was registered against SSP Hafeezul Rehman Bugti, SHO Wajihul Hassan Rizvi, Imran Khan and other police officials at Defence C police station on Wednesday. The charges include abduction, theft, criminal intimidation, and misuse of authority, stemming from an illegal raid conducted two years ago.

Bugti, currently serving as SSP in Karachi police, is accused of orchestrating the raid to settle a personal vendetta.

The incident, described by complainant Sajjad Nadeem Hashmi, involved two police parties raiding his sister’s house and his friend's office in April 2022.

“It took two years and orders from multiple legal forums, including the Justice of Peace, Single Bench of Lahore High Court, and Division Bench of Lahore High Court, just to get the FIR registered,” said Hashmi.

On May 8, a division bench of Lahore High Court finally ordered the registration of the case against SP Bugti and other officers. Similar orders were issued earlier this year by a Justice of Peace and a single bench of Lahore High Court.

The raids involved police officers forcibly entering the premises, issuing life threats, and subjecting Hashmi and his associates to severe torture.

Hashmi alleged that on April 18, 2022, Inspector Wajih ul Hassan Rizvi, SI Imran Khan, T/ASI Syed Asad Maqbool, ASI Tafheem Rizvi, and other policemen in civilian clothes stormed his friend Sohail Zafar’s office in DHA Phase VI.

The officers allegedly brandished firearms, issued threats, and confiscated mobile phones, ATM cards, cash, and other valuables before blindfolding and transporting Hashmi and Zafar to an undisclosed location.

A similar raid was conducted at the residence of Hashmi's sister, where his brother-in-law, Shaukat Ali, was also abducted and tortured. Hashmi claimed the raids were driven by SP Bugti's personal vendetta, alleging that Bugti had developed a relationship with Hashmi’s wife, Warda Afzal and illegally seized his house.

Departmental and IG office inquiries found SP Bugti and the involved officers guilty.

Former Lahore SSP Mustansir Feroz dismissed four policemen and punished others based on the inquiry’s findings.

The IG office forwarded a charge sheet against Bugti to the Establishment Division.

Additional IG Sultan Chaudhary, appointed by the Establishment Division, also found the policemen, including Bugti, guilty and recommended disciplinary action. However, no action has been taken by the Establishment Division for the past two years.

According to Section 5 of the "Efficiency and Discipline Rules 2020," a civil servant charged with a criminal offense and committed to prison is considered under suspension.

The rule further states that if the civil servant is not arrested or is released on bail, the authority may suspend him by a specific order.

The complainant, Sajjad Hashmi, detailed the ordeal in the FIR, citing the personal vendetta of SP Hafeez ul Rehman Bugti as the motive behind the illegal actions. The case remains under investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2024.