NA-118: Police chief told to probe election rally arrests

Petitioner says police raided political office on MNA’s instruction to foil rally.

LAHORE:

Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Tariq Mehmood Zargham has directed the capital city police officer (CCPO) to look into allegations that the Shahdara Town station house officer, acting on the directions of an MNA, raided an independent candidate’s political office in order to foil a rally.

The police also arrested seven workers and allegedly falsely accused them of gambling.

Petitioner Muhammad Mushtaq Khan told the court that he had arranged an election rally for Mian Mehmood Ahmed, former adviser to the chief minister, who aims to stand for election at NA-118 as an independent.

He said that a day before the rally was to be held, the Shahdara Town station house officer visited them on the behalf of the MNA and warned them not to hold a procession, or else they would be implicated in a false case.

He said just before the rally was due to start on September 23, the police arrived and arrested seven workers. He said the police registered false gambling cases against them and seized five mobile phones and Rs19,000 from them.

He asked the court to order a case against the station house officer.

The court directed the capital city police officer to look into the matter and take departmental action against the station house officer as well as prosecute him if he was guilty.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2012.