‘Tortured’ defence ministry employee moves LHC

Claims he was detained after he reported a theft in the office.

RAWALPINDI:

A defence ministry employee working in Wah Cantonment approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) asking for legal action against senior officials for allegedly detaining, torturing and harassing him.

Waqas Adil, a contractual employee at Air Weapons Complex (AWC), accused Colonel Bahadur, Colonel Imran and Major Nasir, all AWC employees, of torturing him and others after he reported a theft in the office.

Chaudhry Muhammad Younas of the LHC Rawalpindi Bench on Monday issued notices to the defence secretary and AWC Wah director general asking them to respond to the allegations within two weeks.

Waqas, who joined AWC in 2000, said on December 19 last year, when he reached Al Nisa School in AWC, the locks of his office were broken.

The petitioner, an attendant at the school, said he informed his seniors about the theft as he was not aware of the contents of the locker. He later learnt that Rs491,000 and a camera were stolen.

“The same day, I and other employees of the school were picked up by the AWC intelligence unit. I was in custody till December 21. I was not allowed to call my family and was mentally and physically tortured without any cogent reason and due course of law,” the petitioner maintained.

He has prayed to the court to direct the defence secretary to punish the accused, direct them not to harass him, and allow him to rejoin his office.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2012.