An inquiry into alleged police favouritism towards a powerful bureaucrat’s son, who was involved in a hit-and-run in which a person was killed, recommended that the government censure four senior officers, including Lahore’s police chief, and suspend or dismiss four junior officers.
The government has decided, instead, to set up a committee to “ascertain the facts in light of the inquiry”.
The inquiry, conducted by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Major (r) Mubashirullah on instruction from the chief minister, found that the police had deliberately avoided gathering evidence that could have proved that Zohaib Salman was drunk when he got into an accident with a motorcycle at Cavalry Ground in the first week of June in which Muhammad Tariq was killed and Ahsan Ali injured. He then drove away from the scene. Salman is son of Salman Siddique, the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue and a former chief secretary of the Punjab.
According to the inquiry report, available with The Express Tribune, Salman, his friend Raza Ahmed, who was also in the vehicle, and the car were later taken into custody by South Cantonment Station House Officer (SHO) Muhammad Asghar Ali. Friends and family of the motorcyclist who was killed gathered at the police station and demanded that a case be registered against Salman.
The inquiry found that instead of registering the case right away, as the police are required to under the law, the SHO called up Cantonment Superintendent of Police (Operations) Hashmat Kamal to ask what to do. The SP told him to delay the case until he could get the approval of Capital City Police Officer Ahmed Raza Tahir. An FIR was registered against Salman after a delay of one day and he was formally arrested.
According to the inquiry, the accused admitted to the police that he was under the influence of alcohol. However, the police did not conduct a medical examination so that there would be no evidence of the driver’s intoxication. It held the SHO and Altaf Hussain, who is in charge of the Cavalry Ground police post, responsible for this, and recommended that they be dismissed from service for burying evidence.
The inquiry also found that while the accused was under arrest, Sub Inspector Muhammad Boota and investigator SI Muhammad Ramzan provided him “undue protocol”, on the instructions of SP (Investigations) Syed Muhammad Amin Bukhari. They were recommended for suspension.
Also, the police registered a case against and arrested Salman’s friend Raza Ahmed, even though he was merely a passenger in the car and had no culpability in the accident.
DIG Mubashirullah, the inquiry officer, recommended to the chief minister that he issue a note of displeasure to the CCPO, SP Kamal, SP Bukhari and Cantt ASP Syeda Zahida Bukhari “for failing to perform their supervisory role in an appropriate manner, as the entire episode was in their knowledge.” A note of displeasure becomes part of the official’s service record.
The government has not acted on any of the inquiry officer’s report, submitted earlier this month. Instead, the chief minister has set up a committee headed by Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and including a member of the National Assembly, the Punjab Police inspector general, and the home secretary “to ascertain the facts in light of the inquiry”, an official said.
The above mentioned police officers continue to perform their duties as normal. An officer familiar with the case said that the junior officers were not worried as they felt that with their bosses also on the hook, they would not be punished too severely.
South Cantt SHO Asghar Ali said the family of Muhammad Tariq, the motorcyclist killed in the action, had reached a settlement with the accused and so the case against the former chief secretary’s son was finished.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2011.
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