According to police, Dr Abbasi had gone into hiding immediately after an FIR was registered against her and four accomplices for allegedly attacking police officials and illegally detaining a female patient. Police had been unable to locate and arrest her.
However, an order by the court of judicial magistrate Islamabad, a copy of which was obtained by The Express Tribune, stated that the investigation officer appeared before the court requesting that the accused be sent on a 14-day judicial remand.
After listening to the investigation officer, the court granted bail to Abbasi on the basis of women protection act, subject to furnishing of surety bonds worth Rs50,000. The court order claimed that the accused was under the custody of police at the time of granting bail.
But the accused was never arrested. In fact, the investigation officer of the case had never even appeared before the court to request this 14-day judicial remand.
“The court order came as a surprise for us,” said a police official requesting anonymity.
He said that after the police authorities read this court order, called the magistrate and updated him on the facts.
According to the procedure, when police arrest an accused, the investigation officer enters the date and time of the arrest in a register. In the case of Dr Abbasi, no entry was made in this register.
The investigation officer refused to comment on the matter, maintaining only that the court had granted bail to the accused. When asked if he appeared before the court to propose a judicial remind, he refused to comment.
Dr Fazeela Abbasi, a fellow doctor Ikram Sheikh and three guards of their clinic were booked for the illegal detention of a patient and for attacking the police officials who had gone to rescue the detainee on August 31. Dr Abbasi is the daughter of an MNA from PPP Begum Naseem Akhtar Chaudhay, who is also the Chairperson of National Assembly’s Committee on Law and Justice.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2010.
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