Non-cooperation: Warrants issued for over 50 policemen

Salaries of three SHOs withheld as court clamps down on police officers.

LAHORE:

Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Tariq Mehmood Zargham on Tuesday ordered that the salaries of three SHOs be withheld and issued non-bailable arrest warrants for over 50 police officials.

The officials include ASIs, Sis and constables from nine police stations.

Zargam directed the CCPO to withhold the salaries of the Sabzazar, Badami Bagh and Baghbanpura SHOs for not cooperating with the court. He directed the CCPO to file a report on the matter by July 17.

Meanwhile, the judge issued non-bailable arrest warrants for around 15 ASIs, 13 SIs and 30 constables, who are eyewitnesses in various murder cases pending before the court.

They had not appeared before the court despite repeated notices.

The warrants were issued for ASI Asghar Ali, ASI Muhammad Afzal, ASI Zulfiqar, ASI Naeem, ASI Yaseen, ASI Asif, ASI Muhammad Akhtar, ASI Saqlain, SI Abdur Rehman, SI Akhtar Hussain, SI Nawaz, SI Akram, SI Sharif, SI Muhammad Shamim, SI Abdul Khaliq and Constable Zahoor Raja, Constable Faryad Ali, Constable Yaseen, Constable Akram, Constable Anwar Khalid, Constable Nasir, Constable Hanif, Constable Yaqoob Alsam, Constable Abbas, Constable Abdul Wahid, Constable Shahzad and Constable Younas. The officers are from Shafiqabad, Mughalpura, Nawankot, Ichhra and Misri Shah police stations.

A judicial officer speaking on anonymity told The Express Tribune that police was not cooperating with the judiciary and thus a number of cases remained undecided. “If lawyers and police officials cooperate with the judiciary, most cases can be heard early,” he said.

Shariq Kamal, the discipline SSP, told The Tribune that the issuance of non-bail able arrest warrants against police officials and orders to withhold the salaries of three SHOs were regrettable. “The police department will take action against officials who do not comply with court orders,” he said.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2012.